Chains of the Seal
by Rose Mistress
Summary: Yugi's life takes an odd turn as he releases a set of magical cards that he now has to capture with the help of the Beast of the Seal. Along the way, he finds a powerful card that catches an interest in him and now he has to make a difficult choice.
1. The New Cardcaptor

Zypher: Well, another inspiration bunny conked me over the head and now I'm here with a Cardcaptor Sakura/Yugioh. This is what happen when you watch Cardcaptor Sakura and started getting ideas. Don't like then I really don't care. It's an idea I wanted to write and if you don't like it, then leave and don't bother me. But to those that will enjoy it, please enjoy.

Summary: Yugi accidently releases the Clow Cards from their seal within the Book of Clow. Now he has a mission to collect them but during so, he found a peculiar card called the Ying Dragons card which depicted two dragons, a heraldic dragon and a Chinese dragon (think of Haku's dragon form from Spirited Away since I can't give an exact type) that could transform into a man that look like him. When he encounters them for the first time, a forbidden love occurs and now he has to make a choice. Seal them away into their proper card or follow his heart and leave them alone as an act of his love?

Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh or Cardcaptor Sakura. Only this idea so no suing or I'll sue you back for my stuff that I have to give up. -grins then pouts- Forget it, I can't make good threats anyway.

Note: Some chapters may follow some of the actual episodes to some extent and Yugi will be wearing the same battle outfits as Sakura did only made to suit him. I may make some of my own ideas for battle outfits at some point. Also, the Tokyo Tower is only a hop, skip and a jump away from Domino City by train to keep some of the elements from Cardcaptor Sakura the same. And one last thing to add is that the staff will be a different color since I think pink won't suit him but it will still be the same staff from the anime.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 1

* * *

A visions starts to appear. It was of a boy standing there on the edge of a building. He was facing Tokyo Tower and beside him was an odd creature with golden yellow fur and small wings. In the air around him was raining cards that depicted various creatures along with writings that couldn't be read. On the tower was a dark figure and from the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something dark flying about.

**_/Where am I?/_**

But before he could get an answer, the vision faded and everything went black.

* * *

Yugi yawned as he woke up to the sunlight shining through the open blinds. He rubbed at his eyes as he got up and made his way to the bathroom, grabbing his uniform along the way. After he was done washing up and getting dressed, he headed downstairs, giving a morning greeting to his grandfather who was fixing breakfast, his mind still somewhat focused on the odd dream he had.

-Hello. My name is Yugi Motou. I'm a 2nd year student at Domino High school and I have very good friends there. Malik, Diamond, Jou, Zella, Ryou, Topaz and Kaiser. They've been my friends every since we first met and I could ask for better friends. And my jii-chan is a wonderful person. He's an archaeologist who goes on various digs around the world. He always has something that he brings back and each are very interesting artifacts. He is also a great cook, so is my otou-san. I learn how to cook from them and both me and jii-chan alternates who gets to cook dinner during the week so I could improve.-

"Morning, Yugi. Did you sleep well?" he asked as he set out a plate for him. "Yeah." he said as he started to eat, chatting with his grandfather quietly until he was done with his plate. "So jii-chan, when will otou-san be back?" Yugi asked as he placed his plate in the sink. "I got a call from him yesterday while you was with your friends. He said he should be back in the next two weeks." Sugoroku said.

-My otou-san was a college professor who worked at a college overseas. He does great at his job and he won many awards for it. He is also a great athlete and I hope to be the same one day. I was already known as a wonderful gymnast even for my short stature but I try hard to improve.-

"That's great to know. I can't wait til he gets back." Yugi said, wiping his hands with a dish towel before saying goodbye to his grandfather. At the door, he strapped on his skates and was soon out the door, making his way to school. "Ohayou, Yugi-san!" A voice called when he was halfway and he stopped, turning to see Diamond and Ryou making their way over to him, Ryou waving all the while. "Ohayou, minna!" he said as Diamond stopped the bike beside him.

-And this is Ryou and Diamond. Two of my best friends and also living together at Ryou's home. Together, they both share nearly the same talents and also some different ones. Diamond is a master video recorder, her movies always the highlight of the school. I loved the one she did during the spring when she visited China. She is also a great designer of outfits. Currently, she was designing some for me and some of them are coming out well. And Ryou was a wonderful cook and an even better singer. His cakes and sweets are delicious and just about everyone like them. Especially Jounouchi and Malik.-

"Ohayou, Ryou-kun. Ohayou, Diamond-chan." Yugi said, smiling. "Glad we could catch up. I made something for you." Ryou said, opening his bag and pulled out a box. He handed it to Yugi and eager to know what it could be, he opened it and grinned.

"Thanks, Ryou! I simply love it when you make your famous strawberry tarts!" Yugi said happily as he closed the box and gave Ryou a short hug. "I know. I was bored last night and was thinking, 'Maybe I should fix something'. And since I had the ingredients to make some tarts, I went ahead and did so." Ryou explained as they continued their way to school.

"Thanks a bunch, Ryou. You know Jou and Malik will be jealous that you made something for me and not for them." Yugi said as they finally reached the school gates. "Don't worry. I have a backup plan." Ryou said, smiling as he jumped off the bike so Diamond can set it into the bike rack. They headed up to the school doors where they met up with Jou, Malik, Kaiser and Topaz.

"Morning, Yugi." Topaz said, waving to him. "Morning, minna." Yugi responded, waving to them. Jou sniffed the air and grinned. "Someone has strawberry tarts." he said, looking about. "Who has tarts?" Malik added, looking around as well. They chuckled softly before Yugi held up the box. "I do. Ryou made some for me." he spoke.

Jou tossed a playful glare at the white-haired teen. "No fair. You know I love your sweets." Jou said, pouting. "I know. That's why I came up with a backup plan." Ryou replied, pulling out two more boxes and handed them to Jou and Malik. Jou grinned with delight, same with Malik.

-Jounouchi and Malik. They're always the funny ones in my group of friends and like I mentioned before, they love Ryou's sweets and cakes. Huge sweet tooth, I say. Although funny, they will do anything and everything to make sure Ryou and I are safe from bullies or ill-willed people and I'm happy for that. You could never find anything like that in just anyone. Both Topaz and Kaiser are the same, just a little more morale about things.-

Diamond walked over to everyone and they talked with one another for a while before the first bell rang and they all headed for the classes, promising to meet up again at lunch.

* * *

As the school day ended, Yugi and the group left out, glad that the day was over with. "Well, I see you guys tomorrow. I promise I'll help jii-chan with the shop today and also, it's my turn to cook dinner." Yugi said as he strapped on his skates. "Alrighty then, Yugi. See you tomorrow. Ja." Jou said as he and Kaiser headed home. "Same here." Malik said, waving to hm, Ryou and Diamond and he and Topaz left as well. Once they were gone and Diamond unlocked the bike from the bike rack, they were on their way home as well.

Once they got to where they roads crossed, Ryou and Diamond waved goodbye to Yugi before they headed in the other direction and Yugi continued on his way home.

* * *

Soon, the two weeks went by fast and Yugi was eager to get home so he could see his otou-san. "I'll see you all tomorrow! My otou-san is coming home today!" Yugi said as he skated off. "Alright! Ja ne, Yugi-kun!" Diamond said as they all waved goodbye to him before he was out of eyesight.

Yugi made his way home quickly and once he discarded his skates at the door, he dashed inside to see his otou-san in the kitchen fixing a snack. He turned when he heard the hurried footsteps and smiled. "Konniciwa, Yugi." he said as he gave the smaller boy a hug. "Konniciwa! I'm so happy you're home!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Me too. I'm glad to be back." he said as they released each other and he picked up the plate with the sandwich he made. "How about you prepare something nice for dinner tonight." Yugi nodded and once his father left, he got to work on starting dinner.

As he was cooking, he heard something odd downstairs in the basement where his father's work library was and stopped chopping up the vegetables and went to investigate. He heard the sound again as he reached the door and shivered as he heard the sound again. _'It can't be that bad.'_ he thought as he opened the door and headed downstairs.

The room was dark and he looked around, scanning through the bookshelves for anything that was making the sound. As he came across a portion of the bookshelves, a new book that wasn't there before started to glow and caught his eye. "What's this?" Yugi whispered as he took the red book from the shelf.

There was a gold lock on it that opened with a click by itself and being curious, he opened the book and saw cards resting within the book. He took the top card and looked at it, finding a picture of a woman with fairy-like wings. He saw there was a name at the bottom and quietly whispered the name.

"Windy."

Just as this word passed his lips, a symbol appeared beneath his feet as a strong gust of wind surrounded him, the card glowing as well, and causing the rest of the cards within the book to fly away, fazing through the ceiling and roof to scatter throughout Domino.

Yugi yelped and covered his face, still holding onto the Windy card as the phenomenon happened and once the wind died down, he uncovered his face and looked to the book, now face down on the floor where it possibly dropped after his shock. It started to glow again and he watched in amazement as something started to emerge from the cover.

Once the creature was fully emerged, Yugi gasped as he remembered it from his dream. Said creature opened its eyes and looked down to Yugi before grinning. "Konniciwa!" It spoke, speaking with an odd Osaka accent. Yugi was confused as he looked to the creature still with amazement and a little fear.

"Who knew someone like you would be able to wake me up." It spoke. "What are you? Some kind of toy?" Yugi questioned and the creature huffed. "No! I'm not a toy! I'm Keroberos! Beast of the Seal that guards over this book." he spoke and Yugi nodded albeit slowly.

"Right."

"Anyways." he started as he magically lifted the book to stand right side up. "I look out for the card in this book so they don't get themselves into any..." As he looked inside, he found there was nothing there and gaped. "The cards! They're gone! Nande? Nande!" he yelled and sighed.

Yugi looked at the card he had and showed it to Kero. "You're talking about this?" he asked and Kero looked up before grinning. "Yes!" He exclaimed, grasping the card in his tiny paws before looking back to him. "And what about the others?"

Yugi placed a finger to his chin in thought. "Letsee, I read Windy on this card."

"Yeah."

"Then a huge gust a wind came."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And they all flew away."

"I see..."

They both shared a humorous laugh before Kero realized what he said and gaped. "WHAT?" Yugi sighed. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

* * *

That night, Yugi ate his dinner quickly before saying goodnight to his otou-san and jii-chan before heading upstairs with his dessert. Inside his room, Kero was hovering over the book, a golden glow surrounding him as he concentrated on finding any sign of any cards around the area. "Any luck?" Yugi asked as he walked inside, closing the door behind him.

He sighed as he landed on top of the book, shaking his head. "Nothing. I can't find any of the cards." Yugi placed the plate of pudding on the desktop and sat down. "So, what kind of cards are we talking about here?" Yugi asked. "Clow Cards..." Kero whispered.

"Clow Cards?"

He nodded. "Yes. They rested within this book and if the Seal were the ever break, a catastrophe would befall the world." he explained. He then explained how the cards were made by the powerful sorcerer Clow Reed and how they possessed incredible powers that ever he would never have expected. "Since each card had its own life, he placed the cards into the book and me, the Beast of the Seal, onto the front cover." he finished, grabbing the spoon from the plate. "In any case of matter, we have to get the cards back. And you're coming with me."

"Wait, why me?" Yugi questioned, intrigued by the story but appalled at the unargumented request. "You're the one that scattered the cards with Windy's spell." Kero said. "Well, aren't you supposed to be guarding the seal?" Yugi spoke. Kero rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I kinda...accidently fell asleep."

"Oh really? For how long?"

"Um...about 30 years."

"30 years?" Yugi could feel a headache about to emerge and he rubbed a temple lightly. "And you call yourself the Beast of the Seal." he whispered. "Hey, stuff happens, alright!" Kero exclaimed, looking to him. Yugi crossed his arms, giving him a smug look. "Of course. So it must've been your snores I heard."

"Anyway. The fact is, you could open the book. That means you must have some magical power within you." Kero said. "So, what's your name?" he asked. "It's Yugi." he responded. "Alright then, Yugi. Stand over there." Kero said, pointing over to the center of his room. He nodded and stood where he was told. Once he was in place, Kero started to glow and the atmosphere changed, the symbol appearing under Yugi's feet.

"Key of the Seal." he whispered and a glow came from the lock of the book and it traveled over to hover in front of Yugi. "There is someone here wishing for a contract with you. A boy. His name is Yugi. O Key, grant him the power. Release!" Kero chanted and soon, a bright light engulfed then room as the Key enlarged into a staff that was silver in color with two angel wings protruding from the sides of the gems embedded in the tip.

"Yugi, grab the staff!" Kero shouted and Yugi walked over, blocking his eyes from the bright light as he reached out to grab the staff. Once he grabbed it, Kero grinned. "Alright! It's the birth of a new Cardcaptor!" he said as the light dissipated and the Key returned to normal, resting in the palm of his hand.

Yugi looked over to Kero who was eating the pudding, gaping. "Wait, wait, wait. I'm just a normal high school kid. I don't think I'm qualified for this kind of thing." he said. "Come on. Cardcaptor? A person that captures cards? Shouldn't be too hard for you." he said, eating more of the pudding.

"What do you not understand from normal high school kid? Even though you said something that dealt with a catastrophe on the world--" Yugi started but Kero halted his words.

"Who was the one to scatter the cards using Windy?" He questioned, looking to Yugi.

"Yeah, and who was the one to fall asleep on the job?" Yugi countered and Kero growled, both of them staring each other down before they heard a loud bird's cry from outside and both turned to look through the window. They saw the huge shadow of a bird flying above the Game shop and towards the city. "What is that thing?" Yugi asked. "It's a Clow Card!" Kero exclaimed. "Probably the Fly card so stop looking so impressed by it and let's go!" he continued, looking down to him. Yugi heaved a sigh before nodding and they both left.

* * *

Following the trail, Yugi skated along the road towards where the Fly card was. Said card landed somewhere in the middle of the homes that were close to the city, flapping it wings and giving another loud call, the gusts from its wings causing some of the cable cords to snap near it. Yugi covered his face as the cutting winds blew past him before they reached it and Yugi looked up just to see how huge the card was.

"Now I know I surely can't capture something that big." Yugi said with a little hint of fear in his voice.

"Don't be so wimpy." Kero quipped. The Fly card gave another cry before turning its gaze to them and they looked to stare at the card before it let loose a gust of wind that was powerful enough to have Yugi flying up into the air but before he could fall and hit the ground, Kero flew over and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and let him down gently. "You have to use your magic! Do just as I told you as we were getting here!" Kero called, looking to him and Yugi nodded, pulling the Key out from his pocket.

He held it out in the palm of his hand before reciting the chant.

_"The Key which hide the powers of Dark,  
Show you true form before me  
I, Yugi, command you under our contract  
Release!"_

The Key glowed with power before floating up in the air before transforming into the staff and Yugi grabbed a hold of it. Kero smiled and flew over to his side. "Alright. The Fly card is attributed to wind so you should be able to easily capture it with Windy. In any case, we need to get close to it." Kero spoke.

Fly gave another crow before ascending into the air and flew straight towards them, flying over them and leaving another huge gust in its wake. Yugi kept himself from flying back again and turned to see that it was ready to make another pass.

"What should I do? It's flying right at us!" Yugi said. "Use Windy and hurry!" Kero told Yugi and he went to reach for the card but Fly came at them again and he ducked to avoid the gust coming at them from Fly passing over. It flew high into the air once more and turned, ready to attack. "Hurry! Use Windy now!" Kero called.

Again, Fly swooped down at them and they turned, running ahead of the flying card. "But how am I supposed to with that thing attacking me?" Yugi demanded. "As a Cardcaptor, you have to figure things like this out yourself." Kero said.

Yugi thought about what he said and got an idea. "I think I know what I can do!" Yugi spoke, skating ahead of Kero just as Fly prepared for another attack. "Yugi?" he called but was thrown high into the air by the gust of wind. Yugi soon skated along the slope that was parallel to the street and once Fly came by him, he leapt off and onto the card's back as he flew up into the air once more. He hung onto the feathers upon the bird's back, holding the Windy card in his other hand.

"Wind, become a binding chain." he whispered, the symbol appearing beneath him as he threw the card in front of him. Once it came back, he twirled the staff in hand and touched the card with it, making it glow. "Windy!" he called and soon, wisps of wind came from the card, soon forming into Windy and she started to curl about the Fly card.

More and more curled around the bird before it wings were bound enough to not keep it airborne any longer and it started to descend, Yugi jumping off just as it hit the ground. The Fly card tried to struggle within the bonds and Yugi turned to it, raising the staff.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow Card!" Again, the symbol appear beneath his feet as he swung the staff before him and at the tip of it, the form of a glowing card appeared and soon, wisps of the Fly started to seep within the card until it became a card once more, its name and picture on it as it landed before Yugi.

"Man, I thought I was going to die with that stunt." he whispered as Kero floated down beside him. "No less from the Cardcaptor I scouted. Good work for your first time." he praised. "Don't expect much. I still don't think I'm capable of doing this if I had to risk doing something like that again." Yugi stated. Kero sighed before looking down to the card.

"Well, you captured it at least. Why don't you try it out." he suggested. Yugi looked up to him them down to the card. "What will it do? Give me some wings or something?" he questioned. "Try it and find out."

Yugi gave a small sigh before standing. "Fly!" he called, tapping the card with the staff and the angel wings upon it grew out. Once he was settled upon the staff, he was soon in the air, smiling brightly.

"Wow! This is so cool!"

"See, there are some advantages to being a Cardcaptor." Kero said as he flew beside him. "I guess you do have a point there. Let's just hope I don't get hurt while capturing these cards." Yugi whispered as he continued to soar over the city before he soon headed home.

* * *

Far from them in a hidden location, two pairs of red eyes opened and one lifted its head.

_'The cards have been released once more.'_

Nudging the other, the two shadowed forms left into the night.

* * *

Zypher: And that it for this chapter. Hope you have enjoyed and I'll get to you with another chapter once I think of what to do next so it might be a while. At the most, it revolves around what to do with Li and Meiling. It can be one of two things, keep them in as they are and just add Sakura as another friend to Yugi to not lose the effect that Li has some feelings for Sakura that grows along the path of them collecting cards or try to add in some characters that I'm willing to use that will suit those two, just without the one playing for Li to like Yugi.

I haven't thought of any for the second idea so if any of you readers have anything in mind, suggestions are welcomed. Same goes for Toya (although I'm thinking of giving his role to Jou even thought he won't be considered as Yugi's brother, just a friend who is overprotective of his health)

Note: If some of the names are far from you mind for those that have watched Cardcaptor Sakura, I'm getting my info from the Japanese version, not the dubbed English version since I can't find any of those episodes.


	2. The Mysterious Dragon

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another chapter to Chains of the Seal. Unfortunately, I have some bad news. Seems that I'll be updating a little slower with all stories. Maybe even to the point of not writing for a few weeks to even a few months but I assure you, that means I won't be quitting, at least without a good reason. My mind's starting to slow down on me and so is the flow of most of my creative ideas. But anyways, glad most have enjoyed the first chapter and here's another for you.

Big fat note: Thanks to the help from Phoenix Takaramono, I now have most of the characters set up so far, still need some help but all in all, this note is basically revolving around Seth. Since I may have Jou act like a brother to Yugi and yet not, to replace Toya, I will have Seth take place of Yukito, just going to change it and have everyone in high school since you don't see everything being completely the same from the show. So on and so forth. Either way, Seth will be really ooc, even though I'm not placing a personality on him since I can really place him with one from how he's been in ancient Egypt, due to Yukito's personality. You should know that there will be a pairing in progress from this as it has been hinted in the actual anime. Don't know about it, then watch it or find a website that talks about Yukito and don't bug me about it cause I am not going into no explanations.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 2

* * *

The next morning, Yugi was still asleep although he was hoping to wake up early today. "Yugi? Yugi? It's 7 o' clock. Time for you to wake up." A voice said and he murmured something in his sleep. "Come on, Yugi. Wake up." He felt something nudge at his shoulder and he swiped at it before finally waking up. _'What is that voice? I don't recognize it at all. Maybe I left the TV on last night.' _he thought as he opened sleep blurred eyes and look to the TV but it was off. "Yugi, up here." The voice spoke again and he turned to look up and saw Kero hovering there.

Things were silent for a moment before Yugi gave a yelp and jumped back slightly. "Great, now I'm seeing flying stuffed toys." he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'm not a stuffed toy. I'm Keroberos, remember? The Beast of the Seal? The Clow Book? The Clow cards? Anything ringing a bell here?" he questioned as he dropped down to Yugi's eye level. "Oh, right. All that. I thought that was all some sort of dream." Yugi spoke as he got up from bed and went into the closet to grab his uniform, yawning as he did so.

"Nope. That's wasn't a dream. You're a Cardcaptor now and you was able to successfully capture your first card last night." Kero said as he brought the book from its place on the desk and opened it, revealing the Fly card with Yugi's name written at the bottom.

"I still think I'm not ready for all this. Just because I captured one card. What makes you think I can catch the rest?" Yugi questioned as he came from the closet in his uniform, Pjs in his hand. "Don't fret, Yugi. I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you were capable of capturing the cards." Kero said as he fluttered over to him after placing the book back on his desk. "We'll see." Yugi whispered before his father called him downstairs for breakfast and Yugi left Kero to his own business.

* * *

After eating, Yugi came back upstairs holding two small cookies in his hands, handing them to Kero who was very happy to have them before grabbing his bag. "Ok, Kero. My dad will be leaving soon and my grandfather will be in the shop so you can watch TV, just keep the volume down low." Yugi spoke before leaving and started making his way to school.

"I'm glad that Kero woke me up. Nearly forgot I had class monitor today so I need to get the room set up." Yugi said to himself quietly before taking a quick turn from his usual route, coming past another house of a good acquaintance, Seth Tayaki. Said person was outside tending to the vast garden his grandparents had and when he heard Yugi stop by the gate, he smiled as he looked up to him.

"Morning, Yugi. What brings you down this way so early?" he questioned. "Ah, it was just to stop by and also I have class monitor duty today. So, what are you up to?" Yugi asked. "Oh, I'm just tending to the garden for my grandparents before I head to school myself." Seth said before getting an idea and went over to a bush of flowers and picked some before walking back.

"Here, why don't you take these for your classroom." he said, smiling and Yugi thanked him before saying goodbye and continued along the way, unaware that he was being watched from above.

* * *

"Morning, Yugi."

"Morning, Diamond." Yugi greeted as he walked in, holding a vase filled with the flowers given to him today and he placed it on the windowsill. "You know, I got the oddest thing yesterday but I thought it was cute." Diamond said as she brought out her video recorder. "What's that?" Yugi asked as he walked over to look over his shoulder and saw something shadowy flying across the moon. Diamond zoomed in closer and revealed it to be Yugi with Kero beside him. Yugi gulped deeply and backed away. "Uh, I don't think..." Yugi started and Diamond turned to him.

"Nonsense. I think it was pretty cool. How did this come to happen?" she asked, looking over to him intently.

"Oh...well...uh...you see..." he stumbled over his words as he tried to think of a reason and during this, Kero took the time to pop out from his bag.

"Ah, so this is a school." he said and Yugi froze in place. "Kero! What are you doing here?" he hissed but Diamond only smiled as he looked to the guardian beast. "Hello." she said warmly. Kero turned to her and smiled as well. "Konniciwa." Sadly, that was all he was able to get out before Yugi stuffed him back into his back. "We'll talk at break." he whispered to the being in the bag before giving a sheepish smile to Diamond.

"Please tell me you never showed that to Ryou."

* * *

At break, Yugi, Diamond and Ryou met up outside, being lucky to escape their other friends' eyes for the moment. Yugi let Kero from his bag and said beast leapt out, gasping for breath. "Man, I thought I was going to die in there." he wheezed. "Oh really? Then why, pray tell, did you not complain about it before I got to school?" Yugi questioned haughtily. "Well, at least that time I was face up. You stuffed my head towards the bottom of the bag so I couldn't even breath." Kero answered before looking ver to Ryou and Diamond.

"Anyways. I'm Keroberos, Guardian of the Seal. If you must know, the reason you saw that little moment there is because Yugi happened to accidently released some powerful magic cards and now he's a Cardcaptor, making it his mission to collect those cards before they wreck havoc upon the city and soon, the world." Kero explained.

"Really now? Sound interesting. Will Yugi be battling these cards head on?" Diamond questioned. To Yugi, it sounded a little eager.

"Yep. Not all cards will be synch to catch." he said. As this explanation was going, on the field not far from them, a shadow of one of the student started to move although the student himself didn't move an inch from his place and yet no one seen it except for the figure on the roof.

"This gives me a great idea!" Diamond said happily. "What's that?" Ryou asked. "Since I was planning to make some outfits for Yugi anyway, now I have a good reason to make many of them!" she squealed and hugged Yugi. "Oh, Yugi! I'm so happy you took this responsibility! And I'll make sure I'm there to record ever one of your moment when in battle with a Clow Card!" Yugi smiled sheepishly again and nodded. "Sure. I can't wait." Ryou laughed slightly. "You don't sound all that convinced." Ryou stated.

Diamond looked to Yugi as she released him from the hug. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they suit you well." she said, smiling brightly. "Now, why don't we eat. Sooner or later, Jou and the others will find out we're out here." Ryou said and they nodded as they pulled out their lunches and started to eat, Diamond sharing some of her sweets with Kero.

* * *

As the school day finally came to an end, Yugi and his friends left for home but their shadows mysteriously pulled away and headed back into the school. Again, from above, the mysterious form watched before gliding off into the clouds. Once Yugi got home, he headed up to his room to complete his homework. "Your friend Diamond seems bound to make you some nice outfits. I can't wait to see what she comes up with." Kero said. "I just hope it won't be anything humiliating. I know she makes wonderful outfits but I'm just having a little doubt on it." Yugi said as he finished up his math and started on history.

"Don't doubt that, Yugi. I may have known her for only a day but I'm sure she'll come up with wonderful outfits for you." Kero said, smiling.

"I'll take your word for it. But I still wouldn't be in this little predicament if someone didn't fall asleep." Kero's smile turned to a frown after that. "Don't start with that again."

* * *

The next day, when Yugi headed into class for his class monitor duties, he was in for a surprise. "Wow, what happened here?" he asked Ryou. In their classroom, all the students' desks were piled up in the center of the room and outside in the courtyard. "I don't know. They were like this when I got here." Ryou spoke. "And it's not only our classroom. Every classroom seems to have all their desks piled up." Diamond said as she walked into the room.

Yugi gave a small sigh. "This is not what I was hoping for when I signed up for class monitor."

"Well, maybe it wasn't a prank by some kid. Maybe this was the cause of a Clow card." Diamond spoke.

"Maybe. I will have to ask Kero about that."

After rearranging the desks, glad to have it done before the teacher got there, school went on normally and once Yugi got home, he told Kero of the odd phenomenon that happened. "Yeah, that sounds like a Clow Card alright. And we have to go and capture it. Tonight." Kero said. "Tonight? Why tonight? Who knows what could happen." Yugi stated. "Well, we have to. If not, that card will continue to do things upon the school. Maybe even destroy it." Yugi sighed, knowing he was right. "Although I think many kids will be happy if the school was destroyed." he murmured and gave a small smile to Kero who sent a small glare his way.

* * *

That night, after calling Diamond, knowing she would want to come, Yugi and Kero made their way to school, waiting at the entrance for Diamond. Soon, a van drove up and Diamond jumped out from the passenger side, smiling to Yugi. "Oh, I'm so happy you called me! I surely don't want to miss this! Now, time for you outfit. Let see." she spoke as she opened the back of the van, revealing many outfits of varying shades and colors.

"Wow. You look like you had a lot of time on your hands, Diamond." Yugi said as she took his hand and brought him over to the van. "Of course she does. You know how dedicated she is about making outfits for you." Ryou said, appearing from behind a rack of outfits.

"Of course." Yugi responded before Diamond pushed him inside to get ready, closing the doors behind him. "Now that I think of it, how did you get the money for the materials for your outfits?" Kero asked. "Well, our parents are very wealthy. Our mom is a director at a toy company while our dad works in the archaeological field and makes good money there. He sends us what he can and our mom give us more for any projects such as Ryou's cooking and my outfits and movies." Diamond explained and Kero nodded.

"Alright! We're ready!" Ryou said as he opened the door, revealing Yugi's battle outfit. It was a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt with loose short that reached down to half of his thighs. He also wore knee high stocking with a white vest over the shirt. On his feet was a pair of white boots and around his shoulders was a large, billowing red cape. On his head was a hat with the same red color. A navy blue headband wrapped around the lip of the hat, ending off in two straps with golden buckles at the end.

"Perfect! You look wonderful, Yugi!" Diamond said. "And we have something for you as well, Kero." Ryou said as he clasped a red bow around his neck and he smile. "Thanks." He turned to look at Yugi. "Ready to go, Yugi?" he questioned. "About as ready as I can get." he said and he nodded as they both entered into the courtyard to find the card, Diamond and Ryou following behind them. Once they stood in the center of the courtyard, Yugi heard a sound a looked around. "What was that?" he whispered. "I can sense the Clow Card. It's nearby." Kero said. Soon, something came flying at them and they dodged out the way and turned to see what came at them and found it to be a teacher's desk.

"How is this happening?" Yugi questioned as the desk came flying at him again and dodged again. "It's the card, Yugi!" Kero shouted and Yugi tried to spot the main body of the card but didn't see it. Ryou looked about the courtyard and saw a shadow holding up the desk but no one was there. "I think that's it!" He said, pointing to the shadow underneath the desk. "I see! It's the Shadow card!" Kero said.

"The Shadow?" Yugi questioned. Soon, more shadows poured from the school and added to the shadow beneath the desk and it tossed the desk towards them again and they moved out the way before they could get hit.

"You need to capture that card and quickly!" Kero said. He nodded and pulled out the Key. "Release!" he called and the Key grew into a staff, Diamond, smiling all the while as she watched. "Wind, become a binding chain!" He whispered, puling out the card. "Windy!" He tapped the card with the staff and Windy emerged, wrapping around the strands of shadows that now appeared but the winds didn't bound the Shadow. "What's going on?" he called to Kero.

"It's must be the other shadows it accumulated! You need to get its original form!" Kero called.

"Now, how am I supposed to do that?" he whispered as the strands made a move to attack. "Use Fly!" Kero shouted but it would be too late but something came to save him. A deafening roar came from nowhere and something swooped down to catch Yugi before the shadows got to him. Yugi tumbled down the long body of the creature and soon was able to get a hold of the ruby red fur along its back. He looked up and saw that he was on the back of a Chinese dragon, pitch black scales gleaming under the moonlight.

_'What the...? Where did it come from?'_ Yugi wondered them looked into crimson eyes that were filmed over, so he suspected it to be blind.

_'So, how did it know that I was in trouble?'_

/Don't worry on that. Worry about your mission, small one./ A voice spoke as the dragon turned and aimed down for the pool of shadows within the courtyard and breath out a mighty flame at the card. From their place, Kero watched before sensing another presence of another Clow card._ 'But this one is different. Something much more powerful. Could it be that dragon? If it is, what could it possibly be?'_ he thought. On the courtyard, the shadows attacked but the dragon twisted and turned, avoiding each attack and Yugi held on, looking down to the mass of shadows.

"This isn't working! We need something to bring out its true form!" Yugi called. Ryou thought about it before getting an idea. "You two, wait here." he said before dashing off. "Where are you going?" Diamond asked, pulling the video recorder away to look at him. "I got an idea." he said as he dashed towards the school. The shadows finally got a grip around the dragon's leg and it snarled angrily as he tried to get free before they could reach Yugi. He breathed out flames, breaking the grip of the shadows and flew up higher into the air.

The shadows made one last attempt to grab the dragon but soon, the lights within the school turned on, chasing away the extra shadows and soon revealing the form of the Shadow card. "There it is! Capture it now!" Kero shouted and Yugi nodded as the dragon moved into a nosedive towards the card which tried to make an attempt to attack even though its weakened. "Wind, become a binding chain! Windy!" Yugi chanted, tapping the Windy card once more and this time, Windy was able to successfully bind Shadow.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow Card!" Yugi called, waving the staff and the image of a card appear, bringing Shadow within its confine until it was sealed away and the card floated over to him. Yugi caught it and smiled as the dragon landed. Kero and Diamond ran out, gathering around Yugi as he dismounted the dragon. "You did wonderfully, Yugi! And I have it all on tape!" Diamond said happily as she gave the smaller teen a hug.

"I can thank Ryou for helping me get the true form of the card out into the open." He turned to the dragon that looked down to him with cleared eyes, showing the ruby depths that held mystery. "And him, even though I don't know where he came from." he whispered and he turned fully to the dragon.

The dragon gave a small purr and lowered his head, nuzzling Yugi softly and Yugi reached up to pet the dragon's snout. /We shall meet again, small one. I promise you that. When you need help, call on me./ The dragon spoke before lifting his head. "How?" Yugi asked. One of the dragon's whiskers caressed his cheek lightly before reaching up towards one of his bangs and gently tugged out a golden strand before curling around it and like magic, the dragon created a small golden flute and handed it back to him.

/With this. Use it when necessary and I or my friend shall come. Your mission is important and we shall help in any way. Goodbye for now./ The dragon spoke before flying off once more, disappearing into the night sky.

They watched him go before Yugi looked down to the golden flute in his hand. _'There's something mysterious about that dragon but for now, I'll wait and maybe he'll tell me why he came to my aid.'_ Yugi thought quietly but with Kero, he was having other thoughts. _'Two dragons? Could they possibly be the fable Ying Dragons card? The only card unable to be sealed within the Clow book because they refused to be sealed away?'_ Kero thought before Yugi decided it was time to head home now that the card was captured.

* * *

Later that night, while Yugi was asleep, the skylight was opened and something slipped inside, revealing to be the dragon that helped him out earlier. In a flash of black light, the dragon turned into a human with the same tri color hair like Yugi's. He walked over to the bed, silent steps not waking Kero before he kneeled beside the bed.

_'Many dangers await you, small one. Someone as innocent as you should not be dealing with such problems but you have magical powers within you. You have become a Cardcaptor, a Cardcaptor that I could trust to hold the Ying Dragons card. My card. Not even Clow Reed could control me and my otouto's combined power after he created us. But you, once you are powerful enough, we will trust you with our power.'_ he thought, running a hand lightly through soft locks.

He then smiled and ran a hand along his cheek. "I can see us becoming wonderful companions, small Cardcaptor." he whispered before he shifted back into his dragon form and leaning down to give him a small nuzzle, he left once more into the night.

* * *

Zypher: There. Done with this chapter and hinted out a little romance. Not going into anything much more than the occasional visits and nuzzles with Yami and Aqua but more emotions will start to arise within later chapters and possibly more pairing. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed and I'll try my best to get more chapters out when I can. Also, if you guys have any ideas for who I can use for Li and Meiling, or just keep them the same, please give me suggestions.

If you want them to stay the same, I'll just keep Li and Yugi friends for the sake of not having any of you think that there with be any feelings sprouting between the two since Li does grow feelings for Sakura along the path of collecting the Clow Cards.


	3. Incident at the Aquarium

Zypher: Ok, I know I said I probably won't be updating for a while but since I'm following an episode guide and the episodes themselves are short, these chapters may come out sooner than expected. Anyways, for those that want to know the character setup, other than Toya (I will now have Jou officially take Toya's place, just that he will get small points of help from Malik, Topaz or Kaiser at some points of the story when he isn't around), Sakura, Yukito and Tomoyo, at the moment, here they are:

Rika Sasaki - Zella

Kaho Mizuki - Keara (there will be none of the past love stuff that happened with Mizuki and Toya in the anime. Jou and Keara will be good friends despite her being a teacher. Just got to think of a story to make up for when we get to the episode with the Return card)

Yoshiyuki Terada - probably keep him the same but the teacher-student relationship he has with Rika won't be seen as much of a loving one like it is in the anime

Sonomi Daidouji - Probably be that same unless I can think of a good look for a quick oc to play as Ryou and Diamond's mother.

Syaoran Li - Still thinking of whether to keep him the same or use the idea that finally came to me and have him be played by Otogi

Meiling Li - Same concept but all depends on the decision above. If I chose Otogi, she may be played by one of the girls from his cheer squad in the Dungeon Dice series. Either that or Vivian who I really didn't think about until Red Dragon of Egypt mentioned her. (If we do go for Vivian and Otogi, they won't be related which I just now learned. -smacks forehead- Can't believe I didn't realize that but all I heard as I was watching the episodes was that she was Li's fiancée so I might've missed it even with the similar last names)

Chiharu Mihara - Still think unless someone has any suggestions for her from a yugioh character or an oc.

Naoko Yanagisawa - Shizuka (of course, this will mean that she and Jou aren't siblings so remember this and it will save me a lot of explanation and a lot of not fuming in anger for people's stupidity on not reading notes and asking me why Jou and Shizuka aren't related)

Takashi Yamazaki - Depends on who is used for Chiharu

Maki Matsumono - Still thinking.

And that's it for right now. I can already tell you that there will be a sequel since I'm splitting the number of episodes I'm using for this story. So any other characters I missed will be because they don't show in the episodes I'm using. And before I get questions (even though it would probably be too late either way since you may have ask them from the last chapter), here's a brief reason why Yami was able to trust Yugi so easily although they met only that night:

Basically, the reason that Yami could trust Yugi so easily is because he knows he would have the power to become a great Cardcaptor and able to wield the powers of his card. Since the Ying Dragons card wasn't sealed within the book, because even Clow didn't have the power to control their card, it was considered a rogue card that couldn't be found because of the fact that Yami and Aqua had the power to diminish the effect of being a card and gain form way before the book was unlocked and the cards were released.

Since they were so powerful, they couldn't trust another magical being, which knew about the Clow Cards, to wield their card. They could only grant their power to the one that could be worthy in their eye and although seeing him for only a day, Yami could see potential within Yugi in being a Cardcaptor even though he was only starting out and his magical power was at a minimum.

So with that, he could already put his trust in Yugi as long as he doesn't fail but with his help, he could deem it impossible unless Yugi wants to capture cards without his help even though he doesn't know of the actual power that Yami has cause they haven't learned he's a card yet, or at least Kero didn't figure it out so soon.

I will go more into the powers of the Ying Dragons card once I think more on it since, of course, it can't have power over shadows or darkness since we already have two cards for that. Again, suggestions are highly wanted. Now, after my ramblings on random yet essential things, please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 3

* * *

A few days after the capture of the Shadow card, Yugi and his class were on their way to the aquarium for a trip. "This will be so fun! I haven't been to the aquarium in quite a while!" Yugi said as he sat beside Malik on the bus that was making its way there. "Man, Yugi. I never saw you so eager for things unless it was getting your favorite cake from Ryou."

"Well, I just love going to the aquarium. I especially love the penguin show." Yugi responded as the bus reached the entrance to the aquarium.

Once they got off the buss and got the directions from their teacher, they headed inside and Yugi dashed off already to look at the various fish within the tanks. He smiled brightly as he saw the fish's colorful scales gleaming in the fluorescent lighting. The class walked about, looking at the tanks and the fish within, none seeing the odd wisp of water that slipped by within one of the tanks.

"Hey, Yugi! We're going to see the penguin show! Want to come?" Ryou called and quick as a flash, Yugi was already on the escalator heading up to the next floor where the show was held. "Told you he was eager." Malik chuckled as he and the others followed Yugi up to the next floor.

* * *

At the show, the penguins did a dazzling display of tricks under their trainer's word. Everyone was happily watching the show but when the trainer started waving to the crowd, a small tendril unnoticed to them all started to show up in the water and it pulled the trainer into the water's depths, creating a whirlpool around her leg to prevent her from getting up and out of the water. Everyone looks on in shock when she didn't come up for a while but soon, she did, scaring away a few penguins resting on the platform but one showed a little bravery and dived underwater to try and help its trainer.

But when it got close to the odd whirlpool that had its master in its grip, another tendril from the whirlpool circled around the penguin before it too was capture in the coiling tempest. "Oh no!" Yugi cried, feeling worried for the health of the penguin. The trainer held onto the platform but her leg was still caught, the once invisible whirlpool now visible and swirling the water around her, and the other penguins started to squawk in fright, getting someone's attention from the back. Kaiser walked out, holding two buckets of fish.

"Kaiser! Please, help them!" Yugi called, quite amazed to see him there but was still focused about the safety of the penguin and the trainer.

Kaiser looked to him and then down to the water and dropping the bucket, he dived down into the water to find what had them. He soon spotted the off whirlpool of water that was separate from everything else around it and getting a grip upon the swirling tendril around the penguin, he started pulling at it, soon snapping the solid-like water and soon, that along with the swirling water around the trainer's leg disappeared and both Kaiser and the penguin came up.

Everyone who was there sighed in relief and so did Yugi. _'But it's amazing enough to see him here. By the uniform, I'm guessing he works here but when did that happen.'_

Kaiser looked to the penguin and it squawked happily and he grinned slightly.

* * *

After the trip, Yugi was back home and in the kitchen, making some pancakes. Kero fluttered beside him as he watched. "So, someone almost drowned. It wasn't you, was it?" he questioned. "Of course not. I wasn't any water that I could fall into. It was odd though that the penguin could've nearly drowned." Yugi said as he started pouring the batter into the heated pan.

After he was done, he sat down at the table, Kero following behind him and licked his lips as he looked at the pancakes. Yugi cut a small piece and handed it to him who took it eagerly and took a bite from it.

"But other than that, there was something else I found weird about it. The people at the aquarium thought that it might've been a plug that opened up but I didn't think so. There was something odd, something familiar about that whirlpool that came up." Yugi explained and Kero thought about it one he finished his bit of pancakes.

"Like when you face a Clow card?" he asked and it was silent before Yugi nodded. They heard the bell to the shop and Jou's voice echoing through the house. "Yugi, we're here!" he called and Yugi gasped while Kero was stealing more bites of his pancakes. "Up in the room! Up in the room!" Yugi hissed, grabbing Kero and dashing towards the stairs before Jou could come into the living area.

"Hide!" he said, tossing Kero up the stairs and he did a few rolls before gaining his flight back and went into Yugi's room. Once he was out of sigh, Yugi dashed back towards the living room and nearly crashed into Kaiser. "Whoa, Yugi. Where's the fire?" he said, chuckling.

"Sorry. Wasn't prepared for your unexpected visit." Yugi said, chuckling as well. "Of course not. We just decided to come by after I saw you at the aquarium today..." Kaiser said before trailing off and sniffing the air. "I smell pancakes!" he said, making a dash for the kitchen. "Hey, wait! Those are mi...oh forget it." Yugi whispered and Jou chuckled again.

"Anyways, I came here so you can meet a friend. Met him on the way from the aquarium. Says he knows ya. Funny that we became quick friends after we met there." Jou said before calling for the person and in walked a teen looking much older than them with sleek black hair and blood red eyes. He wore a tight mesh shirt and black jeans. Those red eyes were fixated on him and he smiled. "Hello there. My name is Aqua and you must be Yugi. My friend told me all about you." Aqua said.

"Really? Whose your friend? Jou? Kaiser?" Yugi asked. He shook his head. "You'll find out in due time." he said, running a hand through his head lightly. "Well, since you guys are here, we can play some games in the game room." Yugi said and they nodded. "You must bring some more pancakes!" Kaiser said as he walked back in, holding the plate and taking another bite.

Yugi giggled softly and nodded. "Sure. I'll make some more." he said as he walked back into the kitchen as Jou and Kaiser led Aqua up to the game room. In Yugi's room, Kero was thinking about what Yugi told him. 'From the way it sounds, it was probably a Clow card since I know aquariums couldn't possibly get whirlpools out of thin air. It must've been Watery's doing.' he thought.

Back downstairs, Yugi was done making three more plates of pancakes and took them upstairs. Just before he could knock, holding the tray in one hand, Aqua already opened the door and smiled. "Must be a coincidence that I could feel your presence coming." he whispered as he took the tray. Yugi blushed slightly but smiled. "I'll be right back. Need to get something from my room."

Aqua nodded and went to head back into the room where a battle was about to happen between Jou and Kaiser.

"No fair! You cheated!"

"Hey! Don't go blaming me for cheating! I'm just better!" Kaiser said smugly. "Ok, you two. Don't fight. You don't want to break any of Yugi's games now." Aqua said, placing the tray on the table. They looked down and nodded, knowing they would get in major trouble if something happened to Yugi's games.

Kero looked up when he heard Yugi walked back in and flew over to him. "Yugi, I know what card it was that nearly drown the penguin and the trainer at the aquarium."

"Really? What is it?" he asked.

"It's the Watery. Another powerful elemental Clow card." he explained. "Hmm, maybe I could capture it with Windy like I did with Shadow and Fly." Yugi suggested. "No. It won't be that easy. This will be a difficult one to catch but I'm sure that you can figure out a way." Kero said and Yugi nodded before he decided to head back before the others wonder where he was.

* * *

The next day after school, Yugi was strapping his skates on and was prepared to leave when he heard someone calling his name. He looked up to see Diamond running over to him, Ryou walking behind her at a slower place. "Hey, Yugi." she said, smiling down to him. "Hi, Diamond. Hi, Ryou." Once they reached his side, they started walking down the street.

"So, what were you thinking about all day? I noticed that during class." Diamond spoke. "Well, that day at the aquarium, I told Kero about it and he told me that there was a Clow card responsible for the incidence." Yugi explained. "Really? Which one was it?" Ryou asked.

"It was called the Watery. Now I'm trying to figure out another way to capture it if none of the cards I have now can't." Yugi said. "Well, I hope you learn of a way soon. The last thing we need if for more of the aquatic animals to be in danger." Diamond said. "Oh, and before I forget, this is a new line of items our mother has at the company." she said, digging through her bag and pulled out two silver colored phones.

She handed them both to Yugi. "I can have these?" he asked and they nodded. "Yep, one for you and one for Kero. We even have one of our own if you ever need us." Ryou said. Yugi smiled and thanked them before they parted ways at the crossroads. Yugi continue down the street, mind still trained on finding another way to capture Watery, never seeing the person in front of him until he bumped into a firm chest and nearly feel over but whoever he bumped into helped him back up.

"You should pay attention to where you're going. You don't want to mar your perfect skin now." A familiar voice spoke and he looked up into the blood red eyes of Aqua.

He blushed slightly and nodded as he moved from his arms. "Sorry about that but thanks for the help." Yugi whispered. "Glad to be of service. And also, I wanted to thank you for the pancakes yesterday. They were perfection." Aqua said. "Oh, it was nothing." Yugi whispered, rubbing his arm shyly.

"It is something. You could become a great chef one day if you wished. And you know, as thanks, why don't you join me for a small meal at the aquarium tomorrow?" he suggested and Yugi flushed brightly.

_'Should I? I only knew him for a day and already he's taking me out as if we knew each other for weeks.'_ he thought but when he looked up to Aqua and saw his friendly smile, he knew he couldn't deny. "Sure, I'll come." Yugi said. "Great. I'll meet you there at noon." Aqua said before patting Yugi's head lightly and left.

Yugi watched him go before he continued on his way home, heart fluttering about his chest. _'Why do I feel this way around him? He's only a friend that I met yesterday.'_ he thought as he entered the game shop, slipped off his skates and put on his slippers before heading upstairs. "Maybe I could call Ryou. Maybe he has an idea what to do. The last thing I need is to slip up somehow during the meal tomorrow." he thought, taking out one of the phones and dialed Ryou's number.

"Hello. Ryou speaking." His voice spoke through the phone. "Ryou, it's me. I need some advice." Yugi said as he lied down on the bed. "What you need to know?" he asked. "Well, I met a friend yesterday that Jou introduced me to. It was only yesterday but for some reason, my heart flutters when I'm around him and tomorrow, I'm going to meet him at the aquarium for a meal." he explained.

"Ah, sounds like someone's in love." Ryou cooed playfully, laughing as Yugi gave a big protest. "But if I was you, just suppress those feelings and get on with the day. If you really have the urge to tell him that you like him, wait a while and get to know him a little more before you go and tell him." he suggested and Yugi nodded, thanking him before hanging up the phone.

"So, is this a date I hear?" Kero spoke, popping out of nowhere and frightening Yugi. "Don't do that! And no, it isn't a date! It's just a little outing with a friend." Yugi spat, sending a small glare at the guardian beast. "Whatever you say, Yugi. Anyways, did you find a way yet?" he asked, sitting on the bed beside Yugi's head.

"No. I just can't think of it. If water can't be kept in one place or in one form, then how am I supposed to capture Watery?" he questioned. "You will have to learn. Watery is a powerful offensive card so it will take skill. I put my trust in you, Yugi, and I know you can figure out something." Kero said, patting Yugi's forehead with a tiny paw before getting up and fluttering off somewhere else.

Yugi still rested on the bed a little while longer before finally getting up and grabbing is bag to do his homework.

* * *

The next day, Yugi made his way down to the aquarium and by the doorway, Aqua waited for him. He waved to him as he ran over, stopping by the other's side. "Right on time. Let's go." Aqua said as they entered into the aquarium. What they didn't notice is that Diamond and Kero were there as well. "Ryou can slip up so much. This is just too cute to pass up!" Diamond squealed before looking to Kero.

"And you said that you're going to check here for that Clow card, right?" Kero nodded and they soon followed behind them. They headed over to the cafe and were surprised to see Seth there. Seth turned to look over to them and smiled. "Ohayou, Yugi!" he called, waving to him. "Friend of yours?" Aqua asked. Yugi nodded as he hopped over to Seth's table. "Hi, Seth. What brings you here?" Yugi asked.

"Just came here to get something to eat. And you?"

"The same. Oh, this is my friend, Aqua. I met him yesterday when Jou and Kaiser came over. Aqua, this is Seth, another friend as I told you earlier." Yugi introduced. Aqua nodded and held a hand out. "Nice to meet you, Seth." he said. "Likewise." They shook hands and Aqua felt a sliver of power from Seth.

_'Hmm, there's something odd about him. I best keep an eye on him.'_ he thought before they decided to sit down at the table and wait for the waiter to come. Yugi was surprised to see that Kaiser was their waiter. "Well, I'm just seeing everyone today." He said, laughing all the while. "Hi, Kaiser. When did you get this job? I thought you were working at the penguin tank." Yugi stated.

"I was but ever since that incident yesterday, they're trying to figure it out so they sent me to work as a waiter." Kaiser said. "So, what would you like to get?" he asked, holding up to notepad. "Hmm, how about some ice-cream? I heard it was very good here." Seth spoke. "It sure is. I had a taste and boy, I was going to go for second if my break wasn't over." Kaiser said, chuckling as he wrote down the order. "I know of you to go through as least a good dozen ice cream cones, Kaiser. What makes this any different?" Yugi asked.

"Got the extra large bowl and was able to finish it but got brain-freeze for a good five minute and before I could get another, Jou called me back, telling me that break was over." They all laughed before Kaiser left to get their orders. The group of three never noticed the wisp of solid-like water twirling by.

On the second floor, Kero and Diamond watched them. "Guess this will be more of a friendly outing than a date like I was hoping for. Darn!" Diamond said before her ears twitched and she looked up in time just to see the tank right beside Yugi's table cracking. "Oh no!" she shouted as the tank burst opened.

The three looked up in shock before the water engulfed them and Yugi was caught by the same swirling whirlpool that had the trainer and penguin from yesterday. Kaiser looked up in shock as he heard the roaring waters coming their way and got swept away along with the other guests on that floor. Yugi blinked slightly, shocked by the unexpected rush of water and noticed that he couldn't move. He looked down and spotted the swirling whirlpool gripping him. _'It's Watery!'_ he thought but knew he couldn't do a thing in his situation.

Kaiser swam through the water, looking for any sign of Yugi, Seth or Aqua. Underwater, someone made it to the emergency box and opened it, grabbing an axe from inside and headed over to a door labeled private and started cutting through. The door soon collapsed and the water rushed out from the floor, Kaiser holding on to the railing of the staircase as he looked for Yugi once more. Yugi finally came up, gasping for air and Kaiser went over to help him.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" he asked as he walked back over to the stairs now that the water was only knee high.

Yugi nodded and looked over to the door where the water was flowing and saw Aqua standing there, axe in hand and dripping wet, brushing a lock of hair from his face. Yugi blushed at the view and turned when he heard his name being called and looked up to see Diamond running over to them.

"You ok, Yugi?" she asked, kneeling down beside him as he was set down on the stairs. "I'm fine. Just still in a little shock from that." Yugi whispered. "I wonder what could've caused that tank to break though. Glass surely can't break on its own and no one threw anything at it. This is becoming a mystery." Kaiser said as he stood and shook some of the water off of him.

Yugi smiled to them and then looked to Diamond. "Man, that was close, I tell you that. I though I was about to drown." Yugi whispered. "Must've been the doings of that Clow card you told me about." Diamond responded. "It was. I felt it working its magic when the tank broke." Kero whispered as he peered from under the hat Diamond wore.

Yugi nodded before getting a thought. "Hey, speaking of which, what are you two doing here anyway?" he asked. Diamond giggled softly, avoiding the question and so did Kero, disappearing back underneath the hat as Seth walked up to where they were. "Everyone ok up here?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, we're good but the ice cream's probably ruined. Sorry." Kaiser said. _'Ice-cream...ice-cream...ice! That's it!'_ Yugi thought. Down below, Aqua smiled. _'Glad you figured out a way. We'll be watching from above, little Cardcaptor.'_ he thought before he too meet up with the rest of the group.

* * *

That night, after slipping by the guards, Ryou, Yugi, Diamond and Kero made their way through the aquarium, splitting up at a T-section, Diamond and Ryou heading down to the basement while Yugi dashed up onto the top floor where another water tank that was open sat. His outfit this time was like that of a jester's the coloration being midnight blue and white with silver bells at the end.

He wore a vest lined in silver with tuxedo-like shirt tails with bells on the ends and knee length midnight blue pants. On his head was a jester's hat, also a midnight blue, which reached down to his tailbone, also decorated with silver bells at the end. On his feet were black jester's shoes, also ending with silver bells and over his hands were small gloves that were black.

"Ok, right here is where Watery is." Kero confirmed as they stopped by the open tank. "Alright." Yugi said, making a quick call and getting the location of the freezer before looking to the dark waters. "So, who are you going to call for this little flight?" Kero questioned. "Don't know but since I have to make this quick, I'll probably go with Fly since I don't even know how that dragon will get in here and to me in time." Yugi said as he jumped onto the rim of the tank and prepared the staff.

"Watery! I challenge you!" he called. It wasn't long before the water shot up in a giant, controlled deluge and came for him.

"Stand back, Kero!" he said as he jumped of and pulled out the Fly card. "Fly!" he called and tapped the card, the wings lengthening out on the staff and he mounted on it before flying off. The deluge of water followed behind him. The chase continued for a while before the card started to attack, sending tendrils of water towards him.

He dodged them and continued on. The water reformed again and chased him once more. Once they got to the lower floor just before the basement, Diamond waved to them at the end of the hall, a door held open for Yugi. She walked out of the way, still recording the flight chase before Yugi and the deluge disappeared down the stairs into the basement.

Once Yugi reached the door to the freezer, he jumped off and prepared for the next move. The water hit the floor and gave the facade of a dragon as it rose up again, making a lunge for Yugi. "Windy!" he called, tapping the card and the wind elemental appeared from the card, sending tendrils of winds towards Watery and although it didn't bind it, it grabbed its attention from Yugi, giving him time to move out the way. Stray strands opened the freezer door and slipped inside, bringing Watery with it and Yugi closed the door behind it.

The deluge transformed into Watery's true form and she snarled angrily as she was trapped. But Windy did her work, bringing up a small snow flurry with her wind. Watery looked about in confusion before realizing what was happening and reached out as if to escape but was soon turned to ice.

Outside, Diamond, Kero and Ryou met up with Yugi and Diamond smiled. "You did beautifully as always." she said. "Yeah. With this idea of freezing Watery, it wouldn't be a problem catching it." Kero added. Ryou looked to his watch and nodded. "And it should be time." he said and Yugi nodded as he walked over to the door and opened it. Inside, Watery now stood, frozen and Yugi readied his staff. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he chanted and tapped the air before him, creating the form of a card.

Nothing happened for a few seconds before parts of Watery started breaking off before her entire form was sealed back into the card. Yugi held the card in hand and smiled. "And that takes care of that." he whispered. "Well, we should be getting out of here ourselves. Last thing we need is to be caught by the guards." Kero said and they nodded before leaving out. In the night sky, two dark forms watched as the group left and one nodded to the other before heading toward Yugi's home while the other returned to their hidden location.

* * *

When Yugi snuck up to his room, he was in for a surprise when he spotted the dragon that he met when he went to capture the Shadow card sitting in his room. "How did you get here?" he asked. The dragon only gave a small purr and walked over to him, leaning down to nuzzle him. /You did well today. A great idea you came up with the capture Watery./ he spoke.

"How did you know? I never saw you there." Yugi whispered. /I have my ways. And you looked beautiful as well./ he purred, leaning down to nuzzle him and he blushed. "Thanks, I guess." he whispered, still blushing. The dragon chuckled softly and nuzzled him once more.

/You still have the flute, correct?/ he asked and Yugi nodded. /Let me see it for a moment, as well as the Key of the Seal./ Yugi nodded and brought out the Key and the flute. He took the flute first in his whiskers and with a whispered word, a glow appeared and the flute was now in a golden bag that hung on a thick, golden chain.

He placed the bag around Yugi's neck before taking the Key and doing the same, only giving it a hooking lock for easy access for future card capture. He placed that around his neck as well and smiled. /There. And never hesitate to play the flute. I will get to you in every way possible to help you on your mission./

Yugi fingered the bag lightly then nodded. "Ok. I'll call you when I need you." The dragon nodded and gave him one last nuzzle, giving a small lick upon his cheek before backing up. Yugi blushed slightly from the lick and watched as the dragon prepared to take off. "Wait, when will you tell me your name?" he asked.

/I will tell you in due time, small one. For now, I want you to know that I have eyes watching over you./ he whispered before leaving out the skylight and into the night sky. _'"I have eyes watching over you"? What does he mean?'_ Yugi thought before taking off the outfit and got dressed in his pjs before heading to bed.

* * *

Zypher: And that it for this chapter. Hoped you like and again, any and all suggestions are wanted and if you can, make a choice for who we need to play Li and Meiling. If not, then we'll just keep them the same and add in Sakura for the relationship between her and Li. Also, if you have anyone in mind for Terada, Sonomi, Chiharu, Maki Matsumono (the woman who own the gift shop in episode 5 (subbed since I don't know if it went in the same order for the dubbed since I think the dubbed jumped around with some episodes and had some cards being caught in the wrong order) and Yamazaki, feel free to tell me and I'll make a vote if I get more than one suggestion. If not, I may just keep them the same.

Note: Before you ask, if you ask, at the moment, until I can think of a point on one of the chapters, I will be having Aqua in a human form watching Yugi during the day while Yami as his dragon form comes to speak with him at night. They won't appear together for quite a while and no, none of the pairings are going to show up yet.

Yugi's just being the usual shy little bugger around Aqua while Yami and Aqua are being the little flirters they are until later where both will drop more subtle hints that they have loving feelings for him despite them being a card. Again, before you as if you plan to, the only reason I give Aqua a human form, this being the second time in all stories that I have done, is because Kero is still a little suspicious after Yami's save from the last chapter.

Since both Yami and Aqua are equal in power, no need for Kero to find out that Aqua is actually a card by giving him his dragon form just yet. Confused? Here's the simplified answer, Aqua's true card form is his usual look and even though Kero knows little of the Ying Dragons card at the moment, he would get hints of his power the more he shows and will soon find out the longer Aqua stays in true form. I had another note to add but I can't remember it at the moment but I'll get back to you all with that.

For Red Dragon: Who knows? You all still don't know whether Yugi will seal away Aqua and Yami into their card so you won't know who's more loyal to Yugi between Windy and those two until the sequel. -grins- But I'll let you all think on it anyway.


	4. One Tiring Sunday

Zypher: Again, here we have another chapter that's coming out insanely fast. Gotta love episode guides instead of hunting for episodes unless you needed some help for action and dialogue. -blanches- Anyways, glad you enjoyed the chapter and please give a big thanks to Serzie who gave some of her time to draw me a wonderfully cute picture of Yugi for the story! Go check her profile for the link.

Thanks again, Serzie! -grins- Hopefully soon I can get some of my own fanart out but who knows. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. And don't forget the suggestions! Still need some before chapter 8 which is the entrance of Li and all suggestions for characters will stop there but I still may need some suggestions for chapter plots or such later on if I ask.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 4

* * *

The next day was a wonderful sunny day and Yugi woke up early to this good day. He opened the blinds and smiled brightly. "Sweet! It's such a wonderful day today!" he exclaimed as he looked out to the scenery. Trees and plants were gleaming with droplets from the rain that happened late last night. Kero popped out from where he slept and flew over to Yugi's side.

"Yes, I surely agree with you but why so giddy today. Going on another date with Aqua?" he questioned playfully. "No! And I told you yesterday that it wasn't a date! Today, I'm spending the day with Diamond and Ryou, maybe the others as well, and heading to the park for a picnic. You should come too." Yug said as he left the window and went to get dressed.

"Maybe I will." Kero spoke as Yugi came out fully dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. His otou-san and jii-chan were already the table and eating breakfast when eh came down. "Morning, everyone!" he greeted happily as he sat down at the table. "Ah, morning, my boy. What makes you so happy today?" Sugoroku asked.

"It's lovely weather outside! Just perfect for the picnic I'm going to with my friends." he said as he made himself a bowl of cereal and started to eat. The other two adults looked to each other sadly before Sugoroku turned to Yugi. "Yugi, I'm sorry to say this but today, you are doing all of the chores." he said and Yugi looked up. "Really? I thought I was free today?" he whispered.

"No. Remember last Sunday? You asked jii-chan if you could go to a friend's piano recital and he took over the chores for that day while you went." His father spoke. "Yes and I scheduled to sign and get those orders to restock the shop today so I'll be gone all day while your father is at his presentation." Sugoroku added. "Oh. That's right. I forgot that I went to Zella's piano recital last week." Yugi whispered, his happy mood dampened with the idea of working with the chores all day. "Don't be sad, Yugi. If you get done, you can call your friends and tell them you will meet them at a different time." Sugoroku said.

Yugi nodded and once they were done with breakfast, Yugi's father and Sugoroku left to get their work done and he started with his chores, washing up the dishes before he went over tot he phone to call Ryou. "Moshi moshi, Ryou speaking."

"Ryou, it's Yugi. I have some bad news."

/"Really? What's wrong?"/

"Well, I forgotten I had to do all the chores today so I won't be able to make it for the picnic. I'm sorry about that."

/"Oh, it's ok. I understand."/

"Thanks, Ryou. Maybe we can go another time."

/"Sure. I'll call the others and tell them."/

"Thanks again and I'm really sorry."

They both said their goodbyes before Yugi hung up along with Ryou. Diamond walked in and looked over to Ryou. "Who called?" she asked. "It was Yugi. He can't make it because he had chores to do today." Ryou explained as he started to call the others and cancel the plans for today. "Oh man. And today was wonderful weather for a picnic." Diamond said as she looked out the window and sighed.

* * *

As Yugi was dusting, Kero agreed to help out and was doing the laundry that Yugi's father set next to the washing machine yesterday. "How are you doing back there, Kero?" Yugi called as he placed the duster away and went to get the vacuum and a rag to wipe off the tables.

"I'm doing fine. Be glad no one's here." Kero grumbled as he took another handful of clothes and placed them into the machine before pressing the start button. Yugi nodded and started wiping off the tables before he got to vacuuming. As he was doing so, he spotted something sticking out from under the carpet and turned off the vacuum before reaching down for it. He pulled it out and was amazed to see it was a card.

"The Wood card. Surprising to find this here of all places." he whispered before smiling. "Hey, Kero! Kero? I found a Clow card!" he said as he ran to the laundry room. With Kero, he was looking inside the machine, wondering why it didn't start. "I did everything Yugi told me. Wonder why it didn't start." he spoke quietly to himself.

"Kero!" Yugi's voice echoed, starting him and he fell forward, hitting the sliding door of the washing machine and fell in, the door closing above him and the machine starting up.

"Kero? Where are you?" he questioned as he walked into the room. "I wonder where he went to. Oh well, at least he started the clothes for me." he said, slipping the card into his pocket before leaving out the room, just missing Kero working his way out of the washing machine, eyes swirling before he shook his head to get rid of the dizziness.

"Man, I quit! This isn't a job for the strongest guardian beast to be doing." he said as he closed the door and flew out the room. He heard Yugi speaking to himself as he was mopping the floors of the shop. "Maybe to thank Kero for helping me, I can get some ice-cream for us." Yugi said as he continued his mopping and at the mentioning of the frozen treat, he shrugged.

"I guess I can help him some more if I'm getting a reward for it." he whispered. A little later, Yugi headed down into the basement, the last place on the list, to vacuum the floor and place some of the fallen books back into place while Kero went to put the clothes up to dry. Yugi opened up the window to let in some light before he got to work.

As Yugi was vacuuming, the vacuum caught something and he lifted it up, spotting another card on the end and took it in hand, checking over it before seeing the familiar back that showed it was a Clow card. "Another Clow card...but it's covered in ink. Dad must've dropped his bottle of ink when he was working on something." he spoke as he placed the card down on the desk.

"I should get a wet towel and wipe this ink off. I'm so lucky today to find two cards in my own home." he said, taking the other from his pocket and placing it next to the ink covered one before heading upstairs to get a towel but heard the phone ringing and went to grab it first.

"Moshi moshi." he said and heard his father's voice on the other line.

"Yugi? It's me. Do you happen to see a manila envelope on the table?" he asked and Yugi went to take a glance in the kitchen and saw the envelope on the table.

"Yeah, I see it. Why?"

"My presentation is all in that envelope. Can you stop by the bus stop and give it to me before the bus gets here?"

Yugi gasped and nodded. "Right! I'll be there in a bit!" he said, giving a quick goodbye before dashing to grab the envelope before heading tot he front door and strapped on his skates and guards. "Kero! I'll be right back! I need to step out real quick!" Yugi called as he opened the door and left, locking it behind him. Kero fluttered in with the laundry as he heard him, looking a bit confused.

In the basement, the sun was shining on the desk where the cards rested and the one covered with ink started to glow, removing the ink itself and revealing it to be the Rain card.

* * *

He quickly raced to the bus stop, catching his father right on time and handed him the envelope just as the bus came and he thanked Yugi for bringing him the envelope before he go on the bus. "I hope you do well at your presentation, otou-san!" Yugi called, waving to him. "I will! Thank you, Yugi!" he called back, waiving to him from the open window before the bus was gone from sight.

After the bus was gone, Yugi started making his way back home when he bumped into Seth on the way. "Oh. Hey, Seth." Yugi greeted. "Hello, Yugi. Running some errands today?" he asked. "Yeah, my dad forgot something for a presentation he's doing at the other college he works at."

"Ah. You should feel proud to help." Seth said and Yugi nodded. "Well, have you had lunch yet? If not, how about we head over there for a quick lunch break." he said, pointing over to a restaurant across the street. "Sure, I don't mind." Yugi said as he and Seth crossed the street and entered the restaurant. "So, why are you wearing your uniform today?" Yugi asked, realizing that he was dressed in his uniform.

"Oh? There was a basketball game today and I went to go see it and also help out our team." Seth explained and Yugi nodded as they went to sit at a table. Yugi was surprised when he saw just who came to get their orders.

"Jou? What are you doing here? I thought you were working at the aquarium." Yugi said. "I was, then I quit. Learned this job paid more." Jou said. "What about Kaiser?" he asked again. "He's working here too." Jou said. He nodded then gave him his order along with Seth's and left. A few minutes went by and the two talked with one another until Jou came back with their food and was intrigued at how much Seth was eating. 'Honestly, he could probably eat twice as much as Jou.' he thought as he took a bite of his sundae.

'But I need to get back to Kero soon. Don't need to leave him alone any longer.' he thought, watching as Jou came back with a second extra large plate of food and took away Seth's empty plate. After they were finished, they said their goodbyes to Jou before leaving. "Thanks for lunch, Seth. I really enjoyed it." Yugi said. "No problem. I'll see you at school tomorrow then." Seth said as he left. "Ja ne, Yugi!" he spoke, waving to him.

"Ja ne!" Yugi replied before skating off towards home. "Tadaima!" he called as he reached the door and looked up to see that Kero had hung up the clothes to dry on the clothesline right outside on the upstairs patio and smiled. He headed inside, taking off his skates and leaving them by the door and placed on his slippers before heading upstairs into his room.

"Kero? Kero, where are you?" he called and then saw the guardian beast lying on the bed, asleep from all the work he did. Yugi smiled as he walked over to the bed quietly and kneeled down. "Thanks..." he whispered. before nudging him lightly. "Kero, I'm going to get lunch started." he said and the other nodded. Yugi was about to stand when he heard an odd creaking noise somewhere in the house.

He nudged Kero again and he sat up sleepily. "Is lunch ready?" he asked. "No. There's this odd sound." Yugi said and Kero listened in before he too heard the sound. The house shook after a short moment after the last creaking sound and Yugi gulped. He stood and left with Kero, heading downstairs. "Do you think it's a burglar?" he asked.

"No. I don't think so but it sounds like its coming from downstairs." Kero spoke and wielding a mop, Yugi continued downstairs and looked about the hall. He looked into the living room, game shop and kitchen but didn't see anything that was making the sound. The sound came again and he turned to the basement door.

"Sounds like it's down there." Kero whispered and Yugi nodded. He slowly opened the door and they both looked inside but with the dim lighting from behind, they couldn't really see what was down there. But soon, something emerged and Yugi yelped as it came out the door and quickly shut it, holding his back to it. Two branches snapped off from the things that came from the door and he looked to it. Kero fluttered down and picked up one of them. "This came from some sort of plant that must be down there." Kero said.

"Plant! What kind of plant could be growing down in my basement?" he exclaimed. Kero continued to examine the twigs until they disappeared. "This is no ordinary plant! This is the work of Wood!" he said. "Wood..." Yugi repeated them remembered about the card he found earlier.

"Wait! I remember now! I found the Wood card when I was cleaning earlier. But I left it in the basement." Yugi explained. "That's bad! You can't leave a Clow card alone without inscribing your name onto it! Clow cards will only listen to their owner once their name is on it." Kero said as he helped Yugi to keep the door shut when he started to slide across the floor. "But it's been in the house this whole entire time! Nothing happened ever since!" Yugi stated.

"Well, I know what's true. The Wood is a gentle card. It would never be up to mischief like this." Kero said as he let go of the door to think. "Hey, wait! Don't let go!" Yugi shouted as the door cracked open and a root came to wrap around Yugi's leg as more started to slip out from the doorway.

"Oh no! Kero! I need some help here!" he called. "I'm kinda in a bind myself!" he responded, tied out by another branch and struggling to get free. They continued to try and get free when they heard a knock at the door to the game shop and Yugi gulped in fear, knowing that whoever is at the door will see this happening and start asking one to many questions.

_'What should I do? What should I do?'_ he thought frantically. "You should answer the door." Kero said. "I can't! If they saw us like this, we'll be the talk of the town by having a living tree in our home. And you! If they find out you can talk, they'll sell you off somewhere as a talking plush toy! You know you don't want that, right?" Yugi said and Kero huffed. "Yeah. You're right about that." he murmured.

"But for now..." Kero went silent and still and Yugi looked to him in confusion.

"Kero, what..." he started but Kero spoke before he could finish.

"Don't speak to plush toys." he whispered and Yugi finally got what he was doing but the moment was shattered as the branches pressed more into the door before it finally opened, overpowering Yugi easily and he fell onto the floor. He groaned in pain and yelped as the branch wrapped around his ankle lifted him up, causing him to be carried over to where the door was and the branches stopped there. A knock was heard again and Yugi tried to get free. The door soon started to crack opened and Yugi closed his eyes, waiting for the questioning to start.

"Yugi?" A voice called and knowing the voice, he looked up to see Ryou and Diamond standing there. "Yugi, what happened here?" she asked. "I'm glad to see you two but right now, may I ask what brought you two over?" he asked. "We came to help with your chores so we could still have our picnic. No need to have you cooped up in the house while we have such a wonderful day going on." Ryou explained as he unwrapped the branches from around Kero and he stretched, glad for the freedom.

Diamond helped Yugi down and he stood, dusting his clothes. "Hurry and seal it, Yugi!" Kero called and he nodded as he took the Key from the chain around his neck. "Release!" he shouted and the Key grew into a staff and he grabbed hold of it. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he tapped the air before him and the branches started to shrink away, disappearing back into the basement.

"Lovely as always, Yugi." Diamond said, holding the video camera. "You will always bring that with you anytime you visit me, aren't you?" Yugi whispered and she nodded, grinning. "But there's a problem. Where's the card?" Ryou questioned.

"Oh yeah, it's not here. What happened?" Kero questioned, looking around. Yugi thought about it before coming up with an answer. "Oh yeah, it's in the basement where I left it." Yugi said. "Alright then. Let's go get it." Kero spoke but they heard the creaking sound again and soon, the branches came back in a food and they gasped. "Let's get upstairs!" Diamond said and they made their way upstairs, some of the branches coming to follow.

They continue their way upstairs, coming out onto the upstairs patio and stood as far as they could from the door. The branches came out as well and came towards them as if to attack but stop just mere inches from them and curled upwards, wrapping around the poles of the clothesline as well as te railing of the patio and soon started to sprout tiny leaves.

"Well, I guess like any tree, it's happy once it gets some sunlight." Ryou said and Kero nodded before gasping. "No! The laundry!" he cried as he flew up to where the clothes hung and sighed, floating down in depression. "And I worked so hard with that." he whispered. "Don't worry, Kero, we'll help you to do the laundry again." Diamond said. "...the laundry..." he whimpered still.

"Now what are we going to do about this? No matter how many times I seal it away, it will keep coming back." Yugi stated.

"Then we have only one choice in this matter!" Kero said angrily as he flew back up into the air. "We'll go down into the basement and seal it off permanently!" he continued before stopping as they heard more creaking that was louder than before.

"That sound...it sounds like Wood is still growing and now the whole house is creaking!" Kero spoke and they gasped.

"I thought it was calm once it got some sunlight!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Well, either way, we have to get down there and fast. If not, the whole entire house will be destroyed." Diamond said. "She's right. If the whole entire tree that is Wood wants sunlight, it will continue to grow until it can fully get to the sunlight." Kero added.

* * *

When they were ready to head back in, Yugi was wearing another battle outfit. This time the color were of a sky blue, white and hinted with gold. It had a futuristic feel to it, the vest he wore being a sky blue with bands of white around it. He wore a long sleeved, white shirt underneath it.

His pants, which were form fitting, were also white and ended off with a pair of white boots with a sky blue band that held them closed and gold studs at both ends. Over his hand were white gloves with a thick, sky blue band, also ending with large gold studs and over his head was a headband with two large wings sprouting from them, a gold sheen over them to make them glow when he was in the sunlight.

"The outfit itself was made from an elastic type material for easy movement, Yugi. You should have no problem getting through these branches." Diamond said as she held up the video camera to get a view of Yugi in the outfit. "What, did you predict something like this would happen to me?" Yugi questioned. "No, when we got to the park today, I was going to record you dancing in this outfit. This was also part of it." she explained, bringing out a shimmering sky blue cloak that was split into triangular strips at the end, the cloak itself shining in the sunlight.

"Looks nice when you add it." Kero said, munching on a sandwich.

"Yeah." Yugi agreed as she placed it back into the basket. They heard a snort and looked behind them to see the Chinese dragon resting there. "Hey, how'd you get here? In broad daylight no less?" Yugi asked.

/I saw the tree branches from afar and knew there must've been a problem. Even though you didn't call, I'm willing to help./ he spoke and Yugi nodded. "Well, hope you can squeeze through these narrow openings." Yugi said and he nodded.

They started making their way through the branches and like Diamond said, it was much easier for Yugi to get through the branches and not get tired with the elastic material of his outfit. The dragon followed close behind, also not getting caught easily in narrow areas of the intertwined branches.

"Hey, I found a way down to the basement." Kero said as he waved to an opening. They nodded and continued to crawl through, reaching the kitchen which marked them being halfway there. The house shook again and Diamond nodded to Yugi. "Let's hurry." she whispered and he nodded as they continued along the way.

Once they got to the basement, Yugi descended down the stairs but when he got there, he stepped into a pool of water. "Water? What's water doing down here?" he whispered. "Water doesn't come from the Wood card. It's not capable of that." Kero said. "Then that must means this was the doings of the other card." Yugi stated and Kero looked to him. "Another card? You never told me about another card. But if what you said is true and this water came from it, then there's only one other card I know if to do this." Kero spoke.

They got closer to the pattering noise and soon spotted the main trunk of the Wood card with a small cloud hovering above it. "The Rain card." he whispered. "Rain?" Ryou asked. /A card made for rainfall. The Wood and Rain must've interacted to make your house into a living jungle, small one./ The dragon stated and he nodded. "So if I capture it, then the rain will stop and Wood would stop growing?" he asked and he nodded.

/Exactly./

Yugi nodded and got closer. "Rain! Wood!" he called and the rain stopped. A little form popped from the cloud, revealing a little blue elf girl with a little blue jester's costume on, her ears decorated with raindrop-shaped earrings.

Said girl smiled and moved over to hover above Yugi and with a wave of her arms, a gentle rainfall started. "This isn't too bad." he said but was soon soaked as the rainfall became like a waterfall. He ran away from the downpour and she only followed behind him. Seeing that getting away may be difficult until he could come up with a plan, the dragon made his way over to Yugi, crouching down.

/Climb on./ he said and Yugi nodded, grabbing a handful of fur and swung himself onto his back and he continued to slip through the maze of books and branches, Yugi crouched low to his back. Rain followed behind them, laughing all the while.

"Yugi! She's only playing with you! You need to seal her away!" Kero called. "I can't while dealing with a waterfall over my head!" Yugi replied back as the dragon clambered over a bookshelf and jumped down, Rain still following behind him. /I have it./ he spoke as he stopped.

"What do you have in mind?" Yugi asked. /Use Watery. Turn her rainfall against her./ he suggested and Yugi nodded, jumping from his back. He pulled out Watery and tossed it into the air. "Card of Clow. Lend your powers to my Key! Transfer the magic dwelling within the card to this Key and grant me your power! Watery!" he chanted, tapping the card as it came back down.

Rain was still happily following them but soon stopped when her rainfall was being pulled somewhere else and followed the trail back to Yugi who was holding the staff over his head, the water swirling about it and Watery's form seen within the swirling water and she gasped. "Water, become a binding chain! Watery!" he called and Watery's eyes opened, the water swirling about her now consuming her as she made her way towards Rain, strands of water shooting out and creating a bubble around Rain.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" He tapped the air before him and the captured Rain card, although struggling, was soon sealed away into the card and Yugi took hold of it, the water pooling about their feet disappearing. Diamond smiled as she recorded everything and the dragon walked over to Yugi's side, leaning down to nuzzle him.

/Wonderful job, small one./ he whispered and Yugi smiled. "Thanks to you for help." he said before turning to the trunk that was Wood. He readied to capture it too but a whisker wrapped around his wrist.

/Watch./ Yugi watched and soon, the trunk started to glow along with the branches and the branches started to shrink back into the basement and back to the trunk, which glowed brightly before revealing the form of Wood's true self which was a small green woman with a collar of leaves around her neck and eyes that held a gentle glow.

Kero fluttered over to them and smiled to her. "Just as I said, she's a gentle card. Once we captured Rain, she wouldn't be as bad as she was earlier because of the water." Kero explained and Yugi nodded. Wood hovered up into the air and Yugi held out his hands, Wood hovering down into his hands and returning back to a card and he smiled as the card stopped glowing, revealing Wood's picture and name on the front.

/And look at that./ he said, pointing over with a whisker to the small rainbow that appeared by the window from Rain's earlier downpour throughout the basement. "It's so pretty." Ryou whispered as they marveled at the small rainbow before Yugi went over to the desk and sat down, taking a pen and wrote his name onto the cards.

"There. I learned the hard way to never forget to write my name on these cards to save ourselves from another problem like that." Yugi said. /Yes, that's an important factor to learn when collecting the Clow cards./ he said. Kero yawned and started up the stairs.

"I'm going to take a nap." he said and Yugi nodded. "Sleep well, Kero." he spoke softly and then turned to Diamond. "And you?" She looked up and smiled. "I guess we won't have to worry about the park this time. I got wonderful footage right here." she said, smiling.

"You always say that no matter what." Yugi said, smiling over to her. "Besides, I wasn't going to dance in this anyway. That would be a little embarrassing." he added. The dragon purred and nuzzled him. /I don't think so./ he whispered and Yugi blushed. "Kawaii!" Diamond squealed.

"Yugi! We have a big problem!" Kero shouted from upstairs and they all climbed up the stairs and stopped over by his side. "Look." he said and Yugi turned to see the hall a mess, things splayed over the floor. They headed over to the kitchen and saw it too was a mess. "Looks like when the branches shrunk back, if they were wrapped over anything, they took it with them before letting go." Ryou said and Yugi sighed heavily. "Now I got an even bigger mess to clean up."

/Don't worry, small one. We'll all help./ he said, Ryou, Diamond, and even Kero, nodded in agreement. "Thanks so much. Especially you." he said, looking over to the dragon. /It's my pleasure./ They all soon got to work cleaning up the house once more, going late into the day and after Ryou and Diamond left, Yugi headed up to his room, Clow book in hand, which he brought down earlier to place the Wood and Rain cards into it, and changed out of his outfit and into some more comfortable clothing.

/I best be going now. Maybe I'll come again tonight, small one./ the dragon spoke and was about to leave when Yugi grabbed a hold of his fur and he turned back. "Why don't you stay a while? It still daylight and no need to be seen while heading back to wherever you stay." Yugi suggested.

/If you sure I won't be a problem. What if someone walks in?/ he asked. "I'll keep the door locked. I offer my hospitality as thanks for your help today." The dragon smiled and nodded. /Ok then, I'll accept your offer./ he said, moving the lie down on the spacious floor and curled up, soon falling asleep. Yugi looked over to him after locking the door and creeped over to his side. Seeing a nice sized spot on the floor right where he curled up.

_'I hope he won't mind.'_ he thought as he stepped into the spot and sat down, lying against his side and lulled by his warmth, soon fell asleep. The dragon's crimson eyes opened and he smiled as he looked to him. He curled up even more around him, resting his head upon his lap. /Sleep well, small one./

* * *

Later, Sugoroku walked in and seeing the house sparkling clean, he smiled. "He must've taken all day to clean up the house to be so spotless. I'll make him something nice for dinner tonight for doing all this work." he said as he got started. Once he was done with dinner, Yugi's father walked in and Sugoroku greeted him. "Well, looks like Yugi done a wondrous job with cleaning up. I should bake him a cake as thanks." he said and Sugoroku nodded. "That's a wonderful idea. A nice little treat for all of his work." he said.

Upstairs, Yugi was still sleeping, a small smile on his face as he slept upon the dragon's side. The dragon was lucky for one thing, that Kero didn't sense any more of his power that could reveal him to be another Clow card.

* * *

Zypher: And that's it for this chapter. Hoped you enjoyed and now, I really need some quick help. I need someone for Miss Maki since she will show up in the next chapter. If you have an idea, please send them in your reviews. If not, I'll just keep her the same. And for Li and Meiling, Li will stay the same and I may still go with Meiling unless you want her to be replaced with Vivian (who will be younger, mind you). Make those suggestions and I'll shall see you all soon.


	5. A New Shop and a New Friend

Zypher: Well, here we are with another glorious chapter to Chains of the Seal. Glad you all enjoy the last chapter and you know I always wish the same for the next. Also, Maki Matsumono will now be played by Toben due to the fact that in my eyes, he could be clumsy (next to his near homicidal nature) since he is a head or two taller than Topaz -snickers- Have fun making fun of him.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 5

* * *

Yugi woke up the next morning and, to his surprise, the dragon was still there. _'At the most, I thought he would've left after I ate dinner.'_ he thought as he stood and walked over to the dragon's side and stroked his head lightly, gaining a purr from him. "Sleep well." he whispered before standing and went to get dressed for school. Once he was done with that, he stuffed his homework into his bag and saying a quick yet quiet goodbye to Kero before heading downstairs for a quick breakfast then left.

He skated along the way, smiling to some of the students as he came by them. He soon came across a small shop and stopped. He saw a platinum blonde sphinx that looked about the same age as him signing out for the unpacked boxes piled up by the door. After he was done with that, he picked up one of the boxes and was about to head to the shop door when he suddenly lost the grip upon the box and drop it, causing a few plush toys to tumble out. "Not again..." he murmured. Yugi skated over to his side and kneeled down, helping to pick up the toys.

The other looked to him and smiled. "Thanks." he said as they placed the plush toys back in the box and he closed it, picking it up once more. "So, is this store opening up today?" Yugi asked. "Yeah. by the way, I'm Toben Espionage." he spoke. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yugi Motou." he introduced. "Likewise. Stop by here this afternoon. I should be open by then." Yugi nodded.

He watched as Toben went to reach for another box but before he could take another step, the entire pile fell over and Yugi sighed in exasperation. _'He must be really clumsy.'_ Were his exact thoughts before he decided to leave before he was late for school.

* * *

Kero woke up and like Yugi, he was surprised to see that the dragon stayed. "So, may I ask why you decided to stay? You know that Yugi's home isn't exactly dragon compatible." Kero stated. /Because I like being here. I think the small one won't mind as long as any parental figures don't know I'm here./ he replied, looking about the room before spotting the plush toy that rested on the shelf. It was of Yugi in what looked to be another battle outfit and picked it up, smiling.

"Uh huh. And I hope you aren't planning on asking me to fetch you anything. I'm still wary about you." Kero spoke, flying in close to his face.

"There's something about you but I just can't place my finger on it." he continued but yelped as a snort blew him away. /Be it may. I don't care. Right now, I am here for the small one and only him. If you figure out something, keep it to yourself./ he spoke, lying down on the carpet once more, plush toy in his claws and he looked ready to fall asleep once more. Kero only huffed and sat down upon Yugi's bed, turning on the TV after hearing Yugi's father leave for the day and his jii-chan heading into the shop.

"By the way, what's your name?"

/It's Yami but don't go telling the small Cardcaptor. I'll tell him when he is ready to know it./

Kero shrugged and went back to watching TV, his mind more focused on the given name. _'Where have I heard that name before?'_

* * *

After school, Yugi told his friends about the shop and eager to see its wares, they all headed over but when they got there, Toben was still unpacking things. They saw him come across the window, stumbling as he held a box before falling. "Man, there I go again." he whispered, rubbing his head. Outside, Topaz snickered a bit, already liking the young store owner. "The shop's not open yet. That's odd. He said he would have it open this afternoon." Yugi spoke.

"Maybe he had a lot of things to do and could get done in time." Ryou suggested. "Let's go see what's going on then." Topaz said and they nodded as they headed over to the shop door and Yugi opened the door, the tinkling of bells alerting Toben to some customers.

"Welcome, welcome. Sorry everything is so cluttered in here." he said as he looked to them and smiled even more. "Ah, you're Yugi, the boy from earlier today. Hello again."

"Hi. I came to see if the shop was over. I even brought my friends with me." Yugi said, pointing to the others behind him. "Oh. I'm terribly sorry but I've yet to get the shop in order. I probably won't be open til tomorrow." he said as he stood, picking up the box. "Why don't we help? Looks like you need it." Yugi suggested.

"Oh no. I couldn't ask that if you. I can handle it." he said as he carried the box but soon fell over again and winced. "How many times does that make it today? About two hundred falls?" he spoke quietly to himself. Yugi looked to the others and they nodded in agreement as they walked over to Toben's side and helped him pick up the plush toys scattered across the floor.

"We'll help. No matter what you say. I want to see what cute little things you have." Diamond said and Toben smiled nodding. "Be my guest." he said.

With the help of Yugi and his friends, everything was progressing much faster except for the occasional trip and fall from Toben while holding a box or plush toy. After they were partially done, Toben brought out some tea and snacks and they thanked him. "This being my first time here, I'm glad you all became pretty good friends." Toben said.

"But of course. It must've taken you a long time to gain enough money to own the shop. You don't look a day over 18." Jou said as he took a snack from the tray. "You're partially right. I'm only 19 and already owning my own shop. My parents gave me the inheritance and their money after their death so I decided to open a small shop to sell plush toys and little trinkets." Toben explained. They were awed by the story and Topaz smiled as he looked over to him.

"I should have everything straighten out by tomorrow so come by and relax and you can see what I have to sell." he said. They nodded once more and continue to eat and drink, none away of the box moving about in the corner until a stuffed toy popped out from the box and bounced over to where they were. They all looked to it curiously but Toben looked at it with a little apprehension. It rolled to a stop by Malik's feet and it revealed to be a fat stuffed panda. He smiled and picked up the toy.

"It's pretty cute if I may say." he spoke.

"Maybe you should get it?" Kaiser suggested. "You know, I will. You don't mind, do you?" he asked, looking over to Toben. "Oh, not at all." he said, smiling once more but had a feeling of dread. He rang up the purchase and Malik smiled as he held the toy in his arms as they left.

"See you tomorrow, Toben!" Yugi called before they left sight of the shop. Toben watched them go before sighing. 'Please don't let the same thing happen here as it did before.' he thought quietly before he went to get back to work, tripping over a misplaced box and grumbled to himself.

* * *

They decided to take a stop over and Malik and Topaz's house to put the plush toy away and everyone but Topaz was amazed at the many plush toys he had. "Wow. Malik, I wouldn't have placed you as a plush toy lover." Zella whispered as he placed the panda toy among the others.

"Yeah. I may act tough while in school but inside, I have a soft spot for plush toys. I even have larger one in the living room if you want to see them." he said and they nodded and left out the room. But before they could reach the room, they heard something fall back in Malik's room and worried, they dashed back and when they got them, they saw that his plush toys have fallen to the floor but the real question was where the panda plush toy went to.

"Hey, the panda toy...it's gone." Ryou whispered. "You don't think..." Yugi started and Malik looked down, depressed. Topaz looked over to the open window and outside. "You didn't place it near the window so it couldn't have fallen out. Do you think it ran off on its own somehow?" he questioned, looking to the others.

"It's either that or a burglar." Ryou said. Topaz walked over to Malik and patted his shoulder comfortingly and the other started to cry silently. "It's alright, everything will be fine. We'll find it." Topaz soothed.

* * *

They next day at school, Yugi and his class were in gym, practicing the high jump and by the fence, Yugi and Diamond were talking quietly to one another. "I talked with my mother when Ryou and I got home yesterday and she told us an odd yet disturbing story." she said and Yugi looked to her. "Disturbing? What's so disturbing about it?" he asked.

"She told us that there were rumors about shops that were new to a neighborhood and sometimes, those shops may have something odd about it that makes bad things happen when someone purchases something from it."

"You don't think it could be talking about Toben's shop too?" Yugi asked again.

"I don't really know..."

"Motou!"

"She told us it was a rumor heard about the toy industry." Diamond finished. "Motou!" The teacher called again and he looked up in surprise. "Oh, it's your turn!" she said and Yugi took his turn, jumping over the high jump easily.

* * *

Toben sighed as he placed a quivering box onto the table, tail flicking about in agitation. The door opened again and Toben turned to see Yugi, Ryou and Diamond walking in. "Hello again." They smiled to him before Ryou spotted the stuffed panda toy among the other plush toy and nudged Yugi. He looked too and gasped. Toben looked to them in confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked. Yugi pointed to the plush toy and he turned. He froze up when he saw it there and shivered in fear. "Not again..." he whispered and Yugi heard his soft spoken words. "Again? Toben, is something wrong?"

"The same thing happened in the last shop I opened up in another town. People buy things from here but then they complained that whatever they bought from here gets stolen and the thief is never found. Soon, the rumors started and since I was so young, they concluded that I was the thief but I never did it. The purchased things just appeared back into my shop mysteriously." He heaved a shaky sigh and closed his eyes. "Maybe I should give up with this. I'm not made to be a shop owner at my age." he whispered.

"Don't say that! This is such a wonderful shop and all this would go to waste if you stopped!" Diamond exclaimed. Toben sighed again, still keeping his back to them. "A long time ago, even for my age, I was engaged to a nice man who liked me. He was a designer. He was only a few years older than me but we loved each other very much. He always said he wanted to own a plush shop where he could sell plush toys of his own design. But that wish never came true for he died in an accident." A tear coursed his Toben's face as he spoke.

"So I decided to own my own plush shop like he wanted to but it hasn't been going well ever since. I've moved from city to city but the same thing happens every time."

He took a deep breath and Yugi, feeling bad for him, walked closer and placed a hand on his arm. "Toben..." he whispered.

"He'll be sad if I quit...but I just can't do this anymore if things keep resulting in the same thing." Toben whispered. Yugi looked up to him in sorrow and they stayed a while longer to make him feel better before they decided it was time to consult Kero about the matter before Toben decided to quit on his shop.

* * *

That night, Yugi told him about what happened and asked if there was any Clow cards associated with collecting plush toys. "No, there isn't such a card. You sure it isn't something else?" Kero questioned. "Kero, we need to figure this out and quickly. Toben is ready to quit because this is happening to him and I don't want to see everything he worked for go to waste like this." Yugi said, curled up once more in Yami's embrace. "You can tell if a card's around so you must come with us on our next visit and see what card is there."

"Alright, I'll do it." Kero said.

"Then let's get going. Toben should still be there so we have time before he heads home." Yugi said and they nodded as they stood and left, getting there quickly by help of Yami. Once they were there, Ryou and Diamond headed inside while Kero, Yugi and Yami waited outside. "Toben, that tea you brewed yesterday was delicious. Mind telling us how you do it?" Ryou asked. He nodded. "Sure. I won't mind." They left into the back and Yugi smiled.

"That was easy. Now let's hurry before they come back out." Yami and Kero nodded and they slipped into the store, Yami keeping the bells silent so they wouldn't alert Toben to anyone else coming in.

"Ok, the round panda plush toy was the suspicious one so we need to look for that." Said toy bounced around a bit before hopping off the shelf and rolling off. Yugi looked to where it was before and saw it wasn't there. "Hey, it was here a minute ago." he whispered as they started to look around for it.

In the back, Toben was teaching Diamond and Ryou how to make the tea still, Ryou and Diamond giving them more time by asking many questions. "I should get back to the shop now. I'm about to close up." Toben said and was about to head to the door when Ryou stopped him, explaining about various teas which caught his interest and he listen in silently.

Diamond looked to the door, wishing Yugi more luck. _'Hurry, Yugi. We don't know how long we can keep him here.'_ she thought

Yugi continued to look through boxes and shelves for the panda toy, wincing as he bumped his leg on a stool. /Be careful, small one./ Yami whispered. Kero nodded before looking about. "I sense a Clow card here." he said.

"Where?" Yugi whispered.

"Under the table."

Yugi nodded and looked down, seeing the panda toy rolling away and he stood quickly, leaping for the toy but missed the odd pink creature that hopped away quickly before he grabbed the toy. Kero flew down to his side and looked tot he toy. "It got away. It must've got into another plush toy." Kero said and Yugi groaned. /Hurry, small one. It sounds like your friends can't hold the shopkeeper back for long./

Diamond started to get into a small explanation about recording and editing tapes and Toben nodded as she spoke. _'I'm starting to run out of things to talk about! Hurry up, Yugi!'_ Diamond thought.

"Nope." Yugi tossed the toy and picked up another.

"No."

Another.

"Not that one either."

Another.

"No."

Yugi sighed, placing the toy into the pile. In the back, Diamond started to go into a long explanation about digital video cameras and the pains of carrying the batteries and Toben still nodded although his mind wasn't in to the explanation at all. Back in the front, Yugi was digging through a box while Yami looked around still.

"I feel a presence right in here. But maybe it got away again." Kero said. Yugi shrugged and pulled out an odd pink, fuzzy creature by the ears and Kero grinned. "That's it! That's the Jump card!" Yugi looked to it in shock but the card had other things in mind. With its magic, it started to control all of the plush toys and they started to bounce around frantically in the room, Yugi holding up his arms for defense.

Toben's ears perked up when he heard the sounds form the shop. "Someone's in the shop!" he said in shock before leaving. "Matte! Toben!" Ryou called as he and Diamond followed him. "What's going on?" he said in shock as he saw everything flying about. Yugi turned around in shock and the Jump card use this time to escape his grip and it made a leap through the window, taking the toys with it as it hopped towards the park.

Too shocked by everything happening, he fainted and Yugi looked to him in worry. "Ryou, Diamond. Watch over Toben. We have a card to catch." Yugi said and they nodded. Yami leapt over to him and kneeled.

/Hop on./

Yugi grabbed hold of his fur and swung onto his back before he left out the door and leapt into the sky, following Jump's trail, Kero following behind them.

* * *

They continued to follow Jump through the park, Yami flying low to the ground and soon getting beside the fast hopping card. Yugi growled and made a grab for it but Jump hopped onto Yami's snout and using it as leverage, hopped high into the air and the force of its jump caused him to flip over enough to hit his head on the pavement and made Yugi tumbled from his back forcefully from the speed Yami was flying at before he hit the ground. "Oww..." Yugi whimpered before turning to Yami. "Are you alright?" he called worriedly. "He's fine! You have bigger things to worry about!" Kero said.

"Oh yeah! Where's the Jump card!" he exclaimed, looking around for it. "Above you!" Kero shouted and Yugi looked up to see that the card was forming a huge ball made of the plush toys before tossing them at him. They hit him harmlessly and he groaned. "That card has the worst attacks." he murmured before Kero got his attention again.

"It's trying to get away!" he said and Yugi looked towards the Jump card as it looked ready to hop off again. "Watch the dragon for me!" Yugi said as he got up quickly and dashed after the card which started to hop away again.

He made a lunging leap for it and getting both hands around it, he thought he had it immobilized but he wasn't prepared for it to leapt up high into the air...

...and carrying him with it.

He yelped as he was carried into the air and risked looking down before gulping once he saw how high they were. _'This is bad. If I let go, I'll be falling to my doom if the dragon's doesn't help me.'_ Yugi thought. The Jump made another mid air leap, jerking itself from Yugi's grip and he gaped as he started to freefall it his death. His rational thought reminded him of the flute and Key around his neck and quickly fishing for whatever he could get, bringing out the flute and started to quickly play a frantic tune, hoping to get Yami's attention.

On the ground, Kero watched Yami, seeing a big lump starting to form on his head. "You can wake up anytime, big guy." he murmured before looking up when he heard the tune and looked into the air to see Yugi falling.

"Yugi? Yugi, use the Key instead!" Kero shouted but as quick as a flash, Yami got onto his feet and leapt into the air, making a beeline towards Yugi's falling form. "I guess that flute does come handy." Kero whispered to himself. Yami soon reached Yugi and grabbed him in his claws, flipping him onto his back before he made a sharp turn back into the air.

/You know, you're lucky I was able to catch you in time. You could've used the Key as well./ he said. "I know but with me falling who knows how many feet and mind running amok with panic, I grabbed whatever I could get." Yugi said as he unhooked the Key. "Release!" he called and the Key lengthened out into a staff and got a firmer hold of Yami's fur.

"Now, we got a card to catch." he said with determination as Yami flew on, trying to locate the Jump card again. Yugi soon spotted it and grabbed hold of Yami's horns, turning him in the direction of the card. "There it is!" he said and Yami nodded as he turned and nosedived for the card.

They headed through the trees following it before it landed and so did Yami. "Return to the guise...hey, wait a minute!" Yugi started, not able to complete to chant before the card hopped off once more. "Hold still!" he growled, having a problem just keeping an eye on it. /Fast little bugger, isn't he?/ Yami whispered. Yugi then spotted Jump ready to make a leap of faith over the trees and quickly pulled out Wood.

"Tress, become thick foliage and be of my aid! Wood!" he chanted and tapped the card and Wood appeared from the card, flying over to Jump and tapped the ground beneath Jump and as it hopped off, branched started to grow from the ground, reaching up to create a cage around Jump and causing it to halt in its escape.

"Yes! I got it!" Yugi cheered and Yami smiled. But Jump wasn't done yet. Back with Kero, he just sat there with the scattered plush toys. "Man, we really did make a mess here." he whispered before he saw the plush toys started to move on their own before flying off and he knew the only place they would be going. He followed behind them, worrying about what may happen to Yugi.

With Yugi he was ready to seal the card when he heard someone cal his name and turned to see Diamond coming out of the bushes. "Did you seal the card away yet?" she asked. "No. I was just about to." Yugi replied. "Good, then I made it just in time." she said, smiling as she held up the video camera. "What about Toben?" he asked.

"Ryou's still there watching him." Yugi nodded and was ready to seal away the card when Jump burst through the branches, glowing neon pink and Yugi gasped. The plush toys came and started to cover Jump. They watched with worry and anxiety about what's to happen. Kero finally made it and flew down to Yugi's side. "What's going on?" he asked. "I don't know! " Yugi answered.

Soon, the transformation was done and now standing before them was a huge version of Jump. The card opened its eyes and glared down at them. /I think it's best we run./ Yami said. "Good idea." Yugi agreed. The card let out a howl and they started to run as it started for them. "Let's split up!" Kero called and they nodded, Yugi and Yami going ahead while Kero went to the right and Diamond to the left.

She started recording the moment while Yugi and Yami were still running. "Our strides are different! I can't outrun it any longer!" Yugi exclaimed and yelped when Yami took hold of him by the back of his shirt with his teeth and dashed forward, reaching Penguin Park and stopped there.

He let him down and turned to see the card still advancing towards them. He snarled, standing before Yugi as they card came to a stop. It let out another howl and raised its foot, ready to squash them both. "Yugi!" Diamond called but by a shred of luck, the monstrous form of the card started to lose its balance. Yami grinned and looked to Yugi, winking to him before flying upwards until he faced the card.

/Timber./ he whispered as he tapped the card's forehead and it tumbled backwards, all the plush toys making up its form now separating and falling to the ground.

Once the little plush toy shower came to an end, Yugi ran into the mass of toys and soon spotted the Jump card on its back, knocked out. Diamond and Kero came over to them and Kero gave a nod to Yugi. "Seal it off while you can." he said and Yugi gave an affirmative.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he chanted and tapped the air right above Jump and a card materialized and sucked in Jump and the card flew into Yugi's hand as the picture and name of the card appeared. Yami flew down and landed beside him, nuzzling him.

/Well done, small one./ he said. "I couldn't have done it without your help." Yugi said, patting Yami's snout before seeing the lump on his head that formed from his hit on the ground.

"You better come back to my house so we can fix that lump." he said and Yami nodded. "Now we come to the hard part." Diamond said as she finished the recording. "And what's that?" Yugi asked, turning to her. "We have to get all these toys back to Toben's shop." she said and they looked to the mass of toys on the ground and Yugi groaned, falling to his knees.

"This will take all night." he mumbled. He felt a wet nose pressing on the back of his neck and turned to Yami. /I don't think it will. With my help, we'll have this done quickly./ he said and Yugi smiled, hugging Yami's snout. "Thank you!" he cried and Yami smiled.

/Anything for you, small one./

* * *

The next day, the Twin Bells shop was finally open and Toben smiled as he looked to all the people that were browsing around. Malik came up to the counter with a stuffed lion and he smiled to him. "A fried for your panda?" he questioned and Malik nodded. "Yes. I was surprised when it came back last night." he said as he paid for the plush. "Yes. I was surprised so much that I passed out. Although I think it was more than that but I can't remember." Toben said. Topaz came into the shop and ran over to the counter.

"Oh, Toben! I heard from Yugi that yesterday, you almost quit with your shop!" he said, worry shining in his eyes at the thought of the older leaving Domino for good. "No, he's not quitting. Everything's going well and I got my panda toy back. It came back somehow last night so all those rumors is nothing now." Malik said, grinning as he saw the clear worry in his eyes.

Topaz smiled and ran behind the counter, hugging the other. "I'm glad! I would hate to see you leave." he said and Toben smiled, blushing slightly. Yugi, Diamond and Ryou walked in and seeing Topaz and Malik here, they walked over. "Hi, Malik." Yugi said before looking over to Topaz. "What's with him." he said, chuckling lightly.

"I think he's smitten with Toben. After you told him of what happen at lunch today, he was just about ready to dash from school, no matter what time it was and come see him to make sure he wasn't really leaving." Malik explained. "Ah, I see. Well, I guess everyone's happy. Toben gets to keep his shop, Topaz doesn't have to worry about him leaving and now you have a place to come and collect plush toys." Ryou said.

"Yeah, and both you and Diamond now know how to brew good tea." Yugi added. "Yeah, that too." They watched Topaz snuggling more into Toben's side, much to the older's embarrassment but it looked like he didn't mind one bit. "I have a feeling that it won't be long before Topaz decided to ask Toben if he could work here." Diamond whispered.

"Already beat you to it." Malik said as he pointed over to them. "Toben, do you mind if I come here after school and help in your shop?" Topaz asked. "Sure. I won't mind the extra help and I pay well." Toben said before they both flushed, finding a double meaning in that sentence and the others only laughed.

"Oh yeah, what happened to the dragon?" Diamond asked. "Oh, he stayed at my house for the night so I can patch up that wound and the next morning, he was gone but left a note saying he will come back soon. Sooner if I play the flute again." Yugi explained and she nodded as they left out, Topaz deciding to stay and start his new job already, soon split up to head to their own homes.

* * *

Zypher: There. Done with the chapter and added a little Yami/Yugi and Topaz/Toben fluff to boot. Don't ask how it came to be, just thought about making Toben younger than Maki, little too young for someone to possibly be owning a shop but since Topaz will be about 16 (same with everyone else except for Jou, Malik and Kaiser whose 17 and Seth whose 18) it worked out even with the three year difference. That's how this little idea spawned.

And more ideas came with it. Now I will have Malik take Chiharu's place and Marik take Yamazaki's place. (mainly cause I could see him be a complete liar while giving some truth to some of the things he says, if he does. Might be able to fit some Malik/Marik fluff from this. Just imagine the things that'll happen when we get to the episode with the Power card -laughs-)

Anywho, hoped you enjoyed this little humorous fluff filled chapter and I'll see you soon with another. Also, please tell me if you still want Vivian (remember, she will be younger) to take Meiling's place. We have one vote for her and Li will stay the same since I'm running out of people who could fit his attitude.


	6. Spirits and Ghosts

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another chapter. I can't help it. Fluff is my specialty and I'm just throwing it in by the handful with this story. Next to the fact I'm currently at a blank with all other stories, you're all are enjoying it and that wills me to continue. Hopefully soon, I can get another idea for the other stories. Anywho, Glad you like the last chapter and as always, enjoy this one as well.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 6

* * *

"Here's the story, it was really late yesterday so I decided to take a shortcut through the forest. But while I was walking, I saw something glowing and I thought it was a firefly so I followed it. But when it stopped, I did too and then everything started to glow around me and I saw this monster." Shizuka explained and Yugi cried out in fear.

"Yugi? What's wrong? You aren't afraid of ghosts and monsters, are you?" Jou asked.

"No...well, only a bit." Yugi whispered.

"Oh, it's alright. We're all afraid of something." Zella stated.

"Yeah, she's right." Topaz added.

"I say we go and check this thing out and see if we can solve this little mystery." Malik said. "Fine by me." Zella said. "Me too." Shizuka replied. "Not me. I'm going straight after school to go and help Toben with the shop." Topaz said. "And both Kaiser and I have to work today." Jou added.

"So I want to hear that you all come back alright, ok?" he said, looking to them. They nodded but Yugi still shivered in fear of what's to come. The bell rung and they all left for their classes.

* * *

A little while after school ended, just as the sun was going down, Shizuka, Malik, Yugi, Zella and Ryou, who Yugi asked to come because he was still afraid, ventured out into the forest. They group of four was ahead of Yugi, who walked a few paces behind them, still dreading the idea of seeing the ghost or monster Shizuka talked about earlier. Zella was asking them about what she should get for her mother but Yugi didn't pay much attention, until he heard his name being called and he looked up. "Hmm?"

"I was asking what do you think I should get my mother for her birthday. Shizuka suggested sweets." Zella explained. "Oh, you can get her whatever you wish." Yugi said, smiling and she nodded. "Oh alright but if you have a suggestion, I'm all ears." she said with a laugh, flicking her black cat ears before they continued on their way.

They stopped at a small yet unseen path that went away from the main one and Shizuka led them through it, soon coming up near the area with a cliff not far from it. Yugi stayed behind Ryou, holding onto his uniform jacket slightly. A caw from a crow was heard above and Yugi flinched in fear. "It's alright, Yugi. It was just a harmless crow." Ryou whispered.

Soon, they stopped and Shizuka looked around. "It was right around here when I saw it." she said. Everything was silent around them as they looked around. "Nothing's here. Maybe it won't come out until it's completely dark." Ryou said.

The others mulled over the thought and while doing so, Yugi heard something from behind and turned slowly to see a glowing orb coming towards them and cried out in shock, catching everyone's attention and the turned as well to see the glowing orb getting closer.

It soon stopped before them and they were silent. Soon, in Yugi's eyes, a image started to show, showing him the shadowed form of a woman with hair down to just below her neck and cried out again along with the other and they dashed away, although Ryou was confused about what scared them so much. Soon, they stopped and the other four collapsed while Ryou stood standing. "I saw...I saw a long hair woman!" Yugi cried.

"A blurry, pointed-eared...!" Malik whispered.

"A one-eyed round...!" Shizuka hiccupped.

"A pink thing with a wide mouth and lots of fangs!" Zella squealed fearfully.

"A large nikuman." Ryou added and they all looked to him in confusion. "What I mean is what I saw was a large nikuman." he said. "I must be hungry." he added. Yugi blinked, still confused but didn't worry about it as they decided to head home before anything else happened.

* * *

Yugi had the bathroom for himself while his father and grandfather was fixing dinner and was gathering his clothes before heading into the bathroom, Kero right behind him. "Man that was still scary though." Yugi whispered as he sat down on a small stool beside the bath and Kero went to rest in the water, in need of a bath himself. After gathering some hot water from the tub and placed it into a washbowl to use and soaked in the bath for a few seconds, he sat down in the stool and started to wash his hair while Kero swam quietly through the water.

"Well, you shouldn't sound so scared about it. You battle with Clow cards and you're not afraid of them." Kero spoke. "I know, but when I don't know what something is, I just get a little terrified." Yugi whispered. Kero nodded before jumping out of the water with a yelp as he felt a rush of bubbles underneath him.

"T-There's something in the water, Yugi!" He cried and Yugi looked to him. "What could be in the water, I only ran the bathwater a few minutes ago." Yugi said as he stood and walked over to the bath, peering into the water. He felt a breeze and looked up, seeing the window open. "Hey, I didn't have the window open..." he whispered before feeling something wrap around his neck and yelped as he was pulled down but not enough to fall into the bathtub.

He saw the bubbles and started to shake in fear as he was brought closer. He closed his eyes then felt a tongue lick his cheek and he opened his eyes, seeing red ones watching him with a smile.

/Hello./

"Yami!" Kero shouted and he sent a glare at him. "Who?" Yugi questioned, looking to him. "Nothing. Nothing." Kero said, waving him off. Yugi arched an eyebrow, watching him before turning back to Yami. "What are you doing here?" he asked softly, hoping that Kero's outburst didn't catch his father or grandfather's attention.

/I just decided to drop by and hearing you in here, I came in and decided to get a bath myself./ he purred, resting on his back in the warm water calmly, tail and claws resting above the water. /So what's this about a ghost I hear?/ he asked, tail swishes languidly over the edge of the tub.

Yugi explained to him about the odd light he and his friends saw in the forest earlier today, Kero grumbling as he resting in the bath once more, having little space to swim himself. /Ah, I see. Maybe its the work of a Clow card./ Yami suggested.

"Maybe. But I still think it may have been a ghost and I'm really scared of ghosts." Yugi explained as he sat back down and returned to washing his hair. Yami watched him silently before closing his eyes.

/Now don't be afraid of such simple creatures, small one. They are scary, yes, but if you don't conquer that fear, it will continue to haunt you throughout the rest of your teenage years. You don't want that now, do you?/

Yugi sighed and shook his head. "No..." he whispered. He heard Yami getting out of the tub and resting behind him, his soft breath caressing the back of his neck. Yami picked up the shower head and started rinsing out Yugi's hair, kneaded through gently with his claws. Yugi sighed quietly closing his eyes as Yami did his work. Kero huffed from his place in the water and floated along.

"Flirt..." he whispered and he yelped again when he was shot out of the water by an unknown force. Yami chuckled silently before picking up Yugi quietly and went over to the bath once more, slipping in before letting the other rest upon his chest.

They stayed like that for a while longer until Yugi's father called him for dinner and Yami nudged him to wake him up. "Huh...oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." he apologized. /No need. You were comfortable and I didn't want to wake you but your father I believe has called you down for dinner./ Yami whispered as he helped Yugi out of the tub and climbed out himself, shaking the water from his lithe form. Yugi finished washing up and donning a robe, he dried Yami off some more before asking if he wished to stay for dessert.

/I'd be honored./ Yami said, smiling and Yugi nodded as they left from the bathroom and headed into Yugi's room. Yugi quickly got dressed and bidding a quick goodbye to them, he headed downstairs. Kero rested on the bed, looking to Yami. "Alright. I want to know something. Are you gaining feelings for Yugi?"

/Yes. Is that a problem?/ he sneered slightly, looking to Kero. "It's not a problem except for that Yugi won't have much time for you while he's collecting the Clow Cards so whatever you're trying to achieve, you should quit before you cause him to make a decision he can't handle." Kero stated and Yami snorted.

/So you're saying he isn't capable too make his own decisions now?/ he whispered and Kero shook his head frantically. "No! I'm just saying with you around constantly, he may soon have to make a decision that would affect us all. I'm not saying you can't come to see him but..." Kero started to explain but Yami growled, leering towards the beast guardian.

/But what? So, you are trying to make his decisions now? I think he is capable to make his own decisions right now and when the time comes, he can make the decision of what his heart chooses. I come here by my own free will cause I want to protect him just as much as you do. Besides, you don't even have your true form yet so how much help are you to him other than sensing what Clow cards are around, Keroberos?/ Yami hissed.

Kero gulped slightly and backed off, going silent but was more in fear of the power he felt emitting from Yami. _'This power...it feels like that of a Clow card. A Clow card I knew of the day Clow Reed created them but I can't put my paw on it. If he's dangerous, I should warn Yugi but then again, who knows. Yami is so mysterious, even I can't figure him out.'_ he thought as he sat quietly to wait for Yugi to come back upstairs with dessert.

* * *

When Yugi came downstairs, he smelled the aroma of dinner wafting from the kitchen and hummed delightfully. He walked in as Sugoroku turned to him, smiling. "Hope you like noodles." he said as Yugi sat down. He nodded. "Of course." Sugoroku scooped some onto a plate and as he was doing so, Yugi looked at the picture sitting upon the table and smiled. "I always loved this picture. This was when mom was around 16, right otou-san?" he asked, looking over to his father.

He nodded. "Yes." Yugi smiled once more as he gazed upon the picture, remembering the stories he told Yugi about her. Only in high school and she took up modeling, becoming great in it and was signed up for many magazine shoots and other such things.

Some of the magazines she posed for otou-san kept but Yugi always adore the picture he held in his hand the most. "Now Yugi, if you don't eat now, your food will get cold." Sugoroku said with a small chuckle and Yugi nodded, placing the picture back before they all started to eat.

After eating, Yugi took the dishes and went to wash then, seeing as his father had a presentation to attend that night and his grandfather was going to visit a sick friend and wouldn't be back til tomorrow afternoon. He said his goodbyes to them both before locking up.

Kero flew downstairs when he saw the two adults leave and went to sit upon the table, looking to Yugi. He was still a little taken by the eerie silence after his and Yami's little banter earlier and the odd feeling he still gotten from the power he felt from him so he decided to leave before the tension got to him.

"So Yugi, where is you father and grandfather heading to so late?" he asked.

"My otou-san has a presentation at another university out of town so he had to catch a train tonight to make it for the presentation tomorrow morning and my jii-chan went to visit a friend whose sick." he explained and Kero nodded. They heard the phone ring and Kero went to get it, bringing it back and holding he receiver to Yugi's ear. "Moshi moshi. Yugi speaking." he said.

/Oh Yugi. I'm glad I caught you./ Ryou's worried tone spoke.

"Why? What's wrong?"

/It's Malik. He went back to the forest with another group of people and he said they saw the mysterious light again./ Ryou explained. Yugi gulped with fear but knew he couldn't just sit around when Malik and whoever he brought with him are in danger. "Alright, we'll see you there in a bit." Yugi said before they said their goodbyes and Yugi sighed. Kero patted his shoulder lightly.

"We best get going before your friend becomes hurt in someway." Kero said and Yugi nodded as they were about to leave them stopped. "Wait, what about the dragon? Is he coming?" he asked, looking to Kero.

"Oh? Uhm...he's resting right now but you know he'll come as quick as a flash if you call him with the flute. Remember?" Kero said, not wanting to get into an explanation about what he and Yami talked about earlier although he himself knew there was some truth to Yami's words. "Oh, ok then. Let's go." Yugi said and they were soon out the shop and heading to the forest.

* * *

When they met up, Diamond had another outfit for him and he quickly changed into it before bringing out the staff and looked to them. His outfit this time had a bunny theme to it, a pair of billowing dress pants of a dark blue with a form fitting shirt that flared out a bit at the cuffs, it too a dark blue while fading to white at the cuffs. On his head was a pair of white bunny ears and attached to the back of his pants was a fluffy bunny tail. "Ryou, you said that there was some people hurt, right?" Yugi questioned softly.

"Yeah. Malik took the group in there and they saw the ghost so they ran and tripped along the way. A big mess, really." he explained. "Well, I know this much. If it's a card then I must capture it. But what I'm worried about is if it wasn't a card and was actually a ghost." he whispered. "Then we'll just have to think of something different." Kero spoke and Yugi gave a sigh before nodding and they went down the path where the ghost or card always showed.

Once they were halfway, they spotted the orb of light and as it flew of, they followed. But the light was getting too quick to follow on foot so Yugi called for Fly and was on his way while the other followed behind him from a farther distance.

Soon, the light stopped just mere inches away from the edge of the cliff and Yugi stopped as well, hopping off the staff and looked to the light. He waited silently, seeing the light soon stretching out across the sky and he waited for the image to appear but when he saw exactly what it was, everything in his body froze. _'Mother.'_ he thought. The image was indeed his mother and she had a soft smiled upon her face as she gazed at Yugi.

Kero, Ryou and Diamond soon reached where they were by all they saw was something glowing before Yugi. "Yugi!" Diamond called, trying to get his attention but he didn't seem to acknowledge they were behind him.

"It really is you...okaa-san..." he whispered as he started to walk towards what he believed to be his mother. "Yugi!" Kero shouted as he tried to fly towards Yugi and stop him but was shocked by an invisible barrier. "Kero! Are you alright?" Ryou asked as he caught him. Diamond looked back to Yugi and saw he was one step away from the edge.

"Yugi!" she cried as he took the last step. The image of his mother disappeared before him and he fell, seemingly drifting into an unconscious state but luckily, his descent was slowed by another ghostly figure. Aqua happened to be walking by and when he heard Diamond's voice calling Yugi's name from above, he looked up.

"Yugi!" he whispered as he ran towards where he was and when he was close enough, Yugi was dropped into his arms. He looked down to him quietly before brushing a lock of hair from his face._ 'I wonder what happened.'_ he thought and decided to take Yugi back to his home until he wakes up. Ryou ran up to the edge of the cliff and looked over, seeing Aqua walk off with Yugi and called out to him. He turned back and told that Yugi was in good hands and Ryou sighed softly before giving him his best regard and left to tell Diamond that Yugi was safe.

* * *

Yugi groaned slightly as he sat up, rubbing his head as he looked around. 'Wasn't I outside earlier?' he wondered before he heard the door slide open and he saw Aqua walked in with a tray in hand, a mug resting on top of it. "Ah, you're awake. I'm glad." he said as he walked over and sat down beside the futon, placing the tray on the floor beside him.

"What happened? How did I get here?" he asked softly before realizing his clothes were changed. "And where's my outfit?" Aqua chuckled softly and stroked Yugi's forehead lightly.

"Your outfit's in the wash. And from what I know, you somehow fell off the cliff in the forest right behind your school. I'm more interested in knowing what happened myself." Aqua said as he picked up the mug of warm tea and handed it to Yugi.

He took it gratefully and took a sip as he told the story. Aqua listened intently before he nodded once Yugi was done with the story and sat there quietly, waiting for Yugi to finish up the tea. Yugi yawned as he finished the last sip and handed the cup back to Aqua who placed it on the tray. "Now, why don't you get a little more rest? I'll call Jounouchi to come pick you up so you can get back home." he said and Yugi nodded as he lied back down and Aqua stood, heading towards the door.

"And you know, Yugi. If that was really the ghost of your mother...do you really think she would put you in danger like that?" he questioned before he left out the door.

Yugi pondered on the question and knew he was right._ 'But if that wasn't okaa-san...who or what was it?'_ he thought before he went to sleep.

* * *

Later in the night, Jou came by to pick up Yugi and Aqua had his outfit in a small bag and he walked with them back to Yugi's house. Aqua told him about how Yugi saw his mother's ghost in the forest and Jou was worried, telling Aqua that he himself seen some ghosts before, or at least sensed them and Aqua wondered if Jou could have some sort of magical power within him.

When they reached the shop, Jou took the spare key from its hidden location and entered inside. Aqua's keen hearing caught the soft, bellowing slumber of Yami from upstairs and he told Jou that he will place Yugi into bed and will see him another time.

"Alright. Night, Aqua." Jou said before leaving once he handed the sleeping teen to him. "Night." he replied before waking upstairs and into Yugi's room. He walked in silently and placed Yugi upon the bed before turning to Yami. "Yami. Hey, Yami. Wake up." he said, nudging him. Yami continued to sleep on and Aqua groaned. "Wake up, you sack of scales!" he hissed, kicking the other and Yami yelped.

/Huh! Where's the fire?/ He mumbled, looking around sleepily. "Come on. You should be coming home." Aqua said as he placed Yugi's battle outfit onto his desk.

/I don't feel like leaving./ Yami spoke, stretching before looking to Yugi's sleeping form them back to Aqua. /What are you doing here, anyway?/ he asked. "I caught Yugi falling off the cliff right near his school. I don't know what happen but from how it sounds, it may have been the work of a Clow card instead of a ghost like he claims." Aqua explained and Yami growled and looked around the room once more.

/Where's that puny excuse for a beast guardian?/ he hissed. "He must be with Yugi's friend. I saw him peeking over the cliff so I'm guessing that he must've taken him home with him until tomorrow." Yami nodded and walked over to the best, licking Yugi's cheek lightly.

/Sleep well, Yugi. If Kero can't watch you, you can count on me to be there./ he whispered before he and Aqua left.

* * *

The next day, Diamond came over, holding a basket in her arms. Sugoroku greeted her at the door and she thanked him before heading upstairs. She entered Yugi's room and Yugi looked up, smiling as he closed the book he was reading. "Hello, Diamond." he greeted. "Hi, Yugi. Are you feeling better?" she asked as she walked over to his bedside. "Yeah. I'm feeling a lot better now." he replied. "All I need was a little more rest so jii-chan let me stay home."

She nodded and Kero took the time to poke his head out from the basket she held, a flower in his mouth. He looked down to him. "Hey, Kero." he greeted and the smaller beats guardian flew out from the basket, landing on Yugi's lap and placed the flower on his lap.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." Kero whispered and Yugi patted is head lightly. "It's alright." he said and Kero smiled up to him. "But what I want to know is what was that light? It can't be a ghost if everyone saw something different." Diamond stated. Yugi reached over, picking up the picture of his mother that rested on the side table and glanced at it.

"But, okaa-san was there. I saw her." he whispered.

"Yes, but you were the only one to have seen her from what Ryou told me the first time you went with Zella, Shizuka and Malik."

"But I say we don't try again." Kero spoke up and they looked to him. "Why not?" Yugi asked. "From that point, I couldn't tell whether it was a ghost or a Clow card. Whatever it was, it knocked me right out with a barrier of some sort. If it can do that then I can't risk your life. I asked you to collect the Cards, but I don't want to make you cry or see you get hurt. Especially if it's something bad enough that may cause you to fracture something. Almost like what happened last night if that person didn't help you."

Yugi smiled and pat Kero's head once more before looking determined. "But I'm going to go anyway." he said. "But why?" Kero asked. "Ghost or not, I can't let that thing stay there and possibly cause harm to other people. I was lucky cause Aqua was there to catch me but no one else may be as fortunate as I was." he explained. He then gazed down at the picture.

"And if it okaa-san...I want to see if she has something to tell me if her spirit came back from Heaven." he whispered. They watched him silently before nodding.

* * *

That night, they headed back out into the forest once more, Yugi wearing another battle outfit for this time. It had a futuristic feel to it like one of his previous outfits and yet had a unique style. It was basically a formfitting black bodysuit with another, this one being white, right over it but it only ends near the top of his thighs and was sleeveless.

Right before the pant legs met with the top line of his boots, it flared out in pointed scallops and tipped softly with silver. Over his hands were white gloves, also flared out into pointed scallops about the loose wrist. His feet were covered with leather boots that were tight over his feet and ankle but also came to flare out slightly near the top.

The accessory for the outfit happen to be what looked to be a small headset that went over his ears, an antennae coming up from the left side of the headset.

Diamond held her video recorder, Kero sitting upon her shoulder. "Be careful, Yugi. The last thing I need on my shoulders is having you get really hurt." Kero said and he nodded. _'Not only that but Yami will probably rip me asunder if he finds out that Yugi did get hurt trying to capture a card and I didn't help him in time.'_ he put as an afterthought. Yugi nodded and Diamond held up the video recorder, getting a good shot of Yugi in his battle outfit before looking around.

"Are you sure it will show up for us again?" she asked softly before seeing the odd orb of light and gasped. "There it is!" she called and Yugi turned to it. He took out the Key, changing it into the Sealing Staff and started walking towards it.

The orb glowed brightly, engulfing everything in its light before the image of Yugi's mother showed once more, a smile on her face. Again, Yugi seemed to be distracted by the sight of his mother and without thinking about sealing whatever it is, he started forward once more. "Yugi! Snap out of it!" Kero shouted but again, he didn't acknowledged they were even behind him and once again, took the fatal step over the cliff and Diamond screamed in terror, knowing they couldn't do anything with the invisible barrier that knocked out Kero before in their way.

Yugi started to fall into a state of unconsciousness again but one thought popped in mind which brought him back.

/...If that was really the ghost of your mother...do you really think she would put you in danger like that?/ Aqua's voice whispered and his eyes snapped open.

_'That's right! I may not have known her long but she would never put her only child in danger!'_ Yugi thought before bringing out Fly. "Fly!" he called and tapped the card, the wings growing upon the staff and he climbed on quickly before pulling out of the nosedive and headed back up to the cliff.

Once he was over solid land, he hopped off and glared at the image of his mother. "You're not okaa-san! Who are you?" he demanded. The image didn't speak but like a TV, it started to fizzle and a quick show of an odd pattern appeared but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Wait...that pattern...! It is a Clow card! It's the Illusion card!" Kero called to Yugi and again, the image continued to fizzle as Yugi prepared to seal it away. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he chanted and created a card before the image was transferred into the card. Once it was done and both the image and name appeared onto the card, Yugi took hold of it and looked to it quietly. Diamond walked over and Kero jumped from her shoulder, flying over to him.

"Are you ok, Yugi?"

"I'm alright." he murmured although he didn't sound all that convincing. Kero frowned, knowing why.

"I know its a hard blow that the Illusion took the image of your mother but you had to seal it away. You know that." he said. "I know. I just wish..." Yugi whispered but shook his head. "Never mind. The main thing is that I caught this card before anyone else could get hurt." he said. They nodded and soon left.

* * *

Next morning, Jou came over to walk with Yugi to school. Yugi was already done breakfast and headed up to his room for a quick moment to pick up something. He came back downstairs, greeting Jou on the way before walking into the kitchen and smiled down to the picture resting on the table. "Happy birthday, okaa-san." he whispered as he placed the small present before the picture.

He smiled and Jou smiled as well but when he looked up, he was in for a surprise. Right there behind Yugi was his mother, large white wings perched on her back and a smile on her face as she looked down to him. She was only a ghostly form but Jou knew that she must've been there to check on Yugi.

He smiled even more seeing her there before calling to Yugi, saying that they would be late. He nodded and saying a quick goodbye, Yugi left out with Jou, his mother watching from where she was.

/Have a good day, Yugi./ she whispered before she disappeared back to where she belonged.

* * *

Zypher: Done. Real emotional chapter in the case of the end. Tried hard not to cry. -grins- Anywho, hoped you enjoyed and I'll get to you with another chapter soon. Also, I really need some ideas. Normally, I would revamp Sakura's battle outfits into a style suited for Yugi but now, I need some new ideas. I know you can come up with some good ones, Keara -grins again- but I also would like to see what you all can think of.

Basically, all I want you to do is pick an episode with a battle outfit (two places you can go is for the episodes although some are missing or not fully explained or a website called Cherry Blossom Festival which is the best site I would recommend. Not only does it have the cards which also explains the happenings of the episode with said card in it but it also give you a view of all of Sakura's battle outfits) and come up with a little creation of your own and tell me what you think either in a review or through my email. Hope to see what you readers can come up with.

Also, I made another picture which is a little humorous but will also show that through most chapters, there will be a little hostility between Yami and Kero because of the many disagreements they will have. Much more than when it comes to Kero and Li. I'll have it scanned soon so if you want to see it, just say so. Now, I shall see you later.


	7. First Attempt as a Thief

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another chapter. Glad you enjoy the last chapter and as always, enjoy this one. Also, we got two votes for Vivian taking Meiling's place. Votes are still on til chapter 19. Probably end earlier depending.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 7

* * *

In the Domino museum, a guard was doing his rounds, making sure there were no late night thieves about the museum. As he walked, he came across a painting with an oddly dressed woman holding a finger over her lips. He flashed the flashlight over the painting a was a bit confused, remembering a different image being there but shrugged and continued on, never seeing the small figure from outside dashing behind a column.

* * *

Early the next morning, Yugi was practicing his sketching, using Kero for a model. "Why did you want me to do this again?" he asked. "Because my class is heading to the museum today to sketch or paint some of the artwork there." Yugi said as he finished up the sketch and showed it to him. "How does it look?" he asked. Kero took a glance at it and reeled back in shock. "That doesn't look anything like me!" he spoke.

"Hey, I'm not the greatest artist around. I think this is good." Yugi said, looking back at the picture before sighing. "Oh who am I kidding? I'm horrible at this." Yugi said, placing the book down on the bed. "Oh, don't beat yourself up about it, Yugi. Keep at it and you might get better." Kero explained.

Yugi gave another sigh before he heard his grandfather calling him, telling him that breakfast was ready and he got up, promising to bring some dessert to Kero before leaving out the door. Kero watched him go before looking back to the picture. _'Maybe I can help him out by making a few modifications of my own.'_ he thought before grabbing the pencil and got to work.

* * *

After breakfast, Yugi gathered his things before leaving out for school. A few minutes later, the class got onto the bus and was on their way to the museum. When they got there, Mr. Terada (I officially keeping him the same due to I'm giving up with thinking of who to have play as him.) gave them directions before they headed into the museum.

The curator of the museum came up and told them where they would be sketching before leaving to his own business and the class split up into groups before going off someplace to work. Ryou and Yugi became partners and they headed over to a complex statue that rested near the center of the room.

"This looks like a very hard one to sketch out." Yugi said as they sat down and took out their sketchbooks. When Yugi flipping his open, he gaped at the drawing that was once Kero. _'Darn him. I said it was worse enough and then he had to go and make his own changes.'_ Yugi thought vehemently as he looked to the red penciled drawing of Kero done by said guardian. Ryou looked over to him. "Is something wrong, Yugi? Do you wish to work in the courtyard instead?" he asked.

"Oh no. Nothing's wrong." he said as he flipped to a fresh page and the two soon got to work.

After a while, Yugi held up his sketch and looked at it from different angles. "I'm done! What about you, Ryou?" he asked, looking to him and gasped. "Amazing!" he whispered as he look at the detailed painting Ryou done of the structure. He turned to look out the window to the courtyard and saw Malik waving to him from outside.

"Looks like Malik wants to see us. Do you want to head to the courtyard with the others?" he asked. "Let me just finish up here then I'll meet you outside." Ryou said, looking up to Yugi. He nodded and stood, closing his sketchbook before dashing off. "Let's see, where the entrance to the courtyard?" he murmured as he came around a corner into a small hall filled with artwork and then stopped, looking over to a small boy who was looking up to a painting.

After a few second, he stood on top of his bag that he had resting on the floor. Yugi turned away to look for the door once more before he heard a guard shouting. "Hey! What are you doing?" he spoke as he grabbed the kid who now had a flat blade in hand. "Are you trying to ruin one of these painting?" he demanded, the kid struggling in his grip before the guard let him go.

"That's my papa's painting! Someone defaced it and I'm going to fix it!" he said. "There was another image there!" Yugi watched the entire thing silently before he realized something. As the kid dashed away from the guard and went over to the painting once more, the woman in the painting started to move, raising a finger up to her lips for silence. The boy, who was trying to fix the painting, gasped in shock and soon, the room started to blur about them.

People were talking, but Yugi didn't hear a thing. _'What's going on?'_ he wondered before everything returned to normal. The guard stood behind the boy, arms crossed. "You caused enough trouble for today." he said as he took the boy's bag, the tag on it snapping off, before leading the child from the museum. Yugi watched as they left before turning back to the picture. _'There's something odd about that picture.'_ Yugi thought before he continued his search for the door leading out into the courtyard.

* * *

After failing to find the door outside, Yugi headed back down the hall where the commotion started and looked at the picture once more before spotting the nametag resting on the floor. "What's this?" he whispered as he reached down to grab the nametag resting on the floor. He looked at the name before looking up, hearing Mr. Terada calling him, telling him that they were leaving. He looked to the tag once more before pocketing it and left.

After they got back to school and left out, once they placed their things back into their schoolbags, Yugi walked with Ryou and Diamond towards home. "It was very odd, though. I was just standing there, watching the entire thing and when the picture moved, everything blurred around me and things got silent. I couldn't hear a thing but it was only for a few seconds before everything returned to normal." Yugi explained. "You don't think that was the work of some cursed artist that died an unfortunate death, do you?" he whispered.

"I don't think so. If the picture moved on its own, I can conclude it to be only one thing." Diamond said. Yugi thought for a minute before realizing what she was getting at. "You don't mean that it could be a Clow card?" She nodded and Yugi knew she must be right.

_'I must feel really stupid right now to think it was a curse. After what happened with the Illusion card, I must be thinking that every odd thing is the work of a ghost.'_ Yugi thought with a sigh before looking to the light, realizing that it was No walking but all the other students were already across the street. "Darn! While we were talking, we forgot to cross!" he exclaimed and Diamond chuckled, patting his head.

From above, Yami watched, smiling softly before leaving, his eyes in a blind state due to the bright rays of the sun.

* * *

That night, after Yugi ate dinner and knew that his grandfather and father was asleep, he turned off his own light before heading over to the window and opened it, climbing down with use of the drain pipe beside his window. Once he was on the ground, he sighed, glad to get this far.

"Now, Yugi. What are you doing out so late?" A voice asked and he jumped slightly before turning to see Seth and Aqua standing there. "Oh. Hi guys." he squeaked, waving slightly. "Hello to you too but you never answered my question. It's late now so what are you doing up?" Aqua asked again.

"Oh, me? I'm...going to go see the moon tonight." Yugi lied. "What about you two?"

"We're going to stop by Jou's house. Said he needed help with some class work and I happened to come across him along the way." Seth said as he motioned to Aqua. "I see. Well, I better not waste anymore of your time, then." Yugi said and they nodded as they started to leave but as Seth continued to walk, Aqua stopped and turned back to him.

"Don't stay up too late, little one. And we won't tell Jou that's you're out tonight. Such a shame that I may not see you again for a while." he whispered, smiling before he walked on. Yugi had a slight flush over his cheeks after he left but shook it off as he strapped on his skates and started making his way to the museum where Diamond and Ryou are waiting.

* * *

"The Silent?" Diamond questioned.

"Yes. The Silent hates loud noises so any sound it hears will dispose of it." Kero explained, coming out from the bag Yugi kept him hidden in. "That would explain why it's hidden in the museum. Its pretty much quiet 24/7." Ryou said. "So what is the card's other powers?" he asked. "Well, not only does it make sound disappear, at the same time..." he started.

"At the same time what?" Yugi urged on.

"I'm not completely sure."

Everyone's face vaulted and Yugi huffed. "And you still call yourself the Beast of the Seal." he murmured and Kero sent a glare his way. "Hey, Silent doesn't speak much so I don't know much of its personality." he defended.

"Oh well, we'll find out when we get in there. Time for you to get dressed, Yugi." Diamond said as Ryou picked out an outfit and they both climbed out to let him have some privacy. While Yugi was dressing, they heard someone coming and looked up to see Yami descending. "Oh, hi there." Ryou said, giving a wave to the other.

/Hello./ Kero examined him close before realizing something was different. "Hey, Yami? Why are your eyes glassed over?" he questioned, staying beside Ryou just in case he lashed out. He huffed slightly. /When I'm in the sun too long, my eyes start to glass over, making me blind for a short period of time./ he explained. "If that's true, then why doesn't it happen when you were in Yugi's room?" he asked again.

/Because, I don't stay directly under the skylight so I don't get affected. Besides, the sun is rarely over the skylight when I'm there./ he said. Yugi soon walked out and Yami looked over to him before grinning. /Nice battle outfit for this night, small one./ he purred and Yugi blushed.

What he wore this time was a two piece, form fitting outfit. It consisted of a long sleeve shirt that ended just above his stomach and short pants that ended around mid thigh. The material was of a dark blue that looked almost black due to it being nighttime and it was accentuated with slate grey diamonds that were slightly translucent, revealing patches of skin. He wore high boots of the same color with the same pattern of slate grey diamonds lining the sides.

A small hat rested over tri colored locks and hands were covered with a pair of black leather, fingerless gloves and on his back was a small pair and angelic wings, only there were grey. "Yeah, it is nice. I like it." Yugi said. "Well, you are a thief and they should never catch one's eye." Ryou said, smiling.

"Yeah but it's not like I'm going to steal something form there while I'm at it." he said, pouting. Yami chuckled softly and walked over, nuzzling him. /Of course not but from what I know, you are planning to sneak into a museum with high security, am I right?/ he questioned.

"Yep. He is." Diamond said before taking out a sheet of paper. "And a guard will come across the painting that we're going for in exactly one hour." she continued and Yugi looked to the sheet. "Wow! Where'd you get this from? It's an entire sheet of the guards' patrolling times." he said with a little shock.

"After we left, Ryou stopped back at the museum and borrowed this one." she said. /Very sneaky of you, Ryou-san./ Yami spoke. "Oh, it was nothing. Now, we best set the alarm for five minutes before the time the guard walks around so we won't get caught." Ryou said, setting the water for the designated time.

"Done." he whispered before looking up to them. "Now let's start our little escapade." he said and they nodded. Ryou, Kero and Yugi went ahead but before Yami could follow, Diamond tugged on his fur slightly. /Yes?/ he questioned, turning to her.

"I made something for you too. I know you come around a lot to help Yugi with capturing a difficult card so I thought you would need something as well." she said opening the door to the van and entered inside for a moment before coming back out with a thick, black leather collar with a medium sized charm on the end.

"I know you have some magic so you can change the charm to match with any of the outfits Yugi wears." she explained, hooking to collar around his neck and Yami smiled. /Thank you. I'll cherish this gift greatly./ he said, leaning down to nuzzle her and she laughed lightly before petting his snout. "No problem. Now let's go catch up with the others before they realize we're not behind them." she said, taking hold of the collar to lead him along the way since his eyes weren't completely clear yet.

When they got inside, they were on the second floor and snuck about the corridors silently before coming up into the large main room of the museum. They continued along quietly before they heard something drop onto the floor and kneeled down, thinking it was a guard, until Yugi and Ryou peeked through the railing and saw it was the kid Yugi saw trying to deface the painting earlier.

"I wonder what he's doing here." Yugi whispered.

"He does look a little suspicious to be in here this late at night." Ryou added.

"Well, we're pretty suspicious ourselves. Maybe he's here trying to steal some art." Kero spoke. /I don't think that's possible./ Yami spoke and Kero sent a look his way, glad enough that he couldn't see perfectly yet. "So you think he's a burglar?" Diamond questioned and Kero nodded. "Maybe an amateur at best but if he's here this late, he must be one." Kero said. "So what are we gonna do?" Yugi asked. "We'll allow him to run away." Diamond stated. "And how are we gonna do that?" Kero questioned.

Diamond reached into the bag she brought and pulled out a flashlight. "With this. Come with me." They nodded and followed her down to the main floor before hiding behind a small platform. "So, what's the plan?" Yugi asked. "We're going to do a little shadow play. Kero, I need you and him to work together." Diamond explained, pointing to him and Yami.

"Me? Work with him? This might not work well."

"Why not? He's nice." Yugi spoke, patting Yami's side who purred softly.

"We have little disagreements now and then." Kero stated, turning away. Yugi wondered what he meant but yami told him not to worry about it and he nodded.

/So, what do we have to do?/ he asked. "I need you to do you best scary voice and act like you are the guardian of the museum. Kero, I'm going to cast your shadow on this structure and if it works, the kid might run off so we can get the Silent card before we run out of time." she explained and they nodded. The kid in questioned was ready to head into another room when he heard Yami's voice.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Hurry and leave this place immediately." The kid jumped when he heard the hauntingly sly voice of Yami. "Who's there? Show yourself!" The kid called, being brave but was still afraid all the while. "Well, it's a kid for sure. Wonder what he is planning to do here." Kero whispered.

"Don't know but we'll find out soon if we can't scare him off." Diamond said as she turned on the flashlight and casted Kero's shadow on the structure.

"Listen here, child. I'm the guardian angel of this museum. Leave now." Yami spoke and the kid huffed. "W-what do you mean, guardian angel? You were the one that messed with my papa's painting! Come out now!" he said, walking closer to where the shadow was being casted from.

Ryou took a peek from the corner without being seen before looking to them. "He's coming this way." He whispered. "That wasn't what I had in mind." Diamond replied. Once the kid was close enough to where they hid, he started to peek over slightly, holding the flat blade tightly in his hand but before he could see exactly what was behind the platform, Kero peered out, giving a slight sound to frighten the kid which worked.

He stumbled back, hitting a podium and slid down and cause the statue on top of it to tumble over but before he could get hit or shatter onto the floor, Yami leapt out and grabbed it gently within his jaws and set it back on top of the podium. Yugi gave a sigh of relief. "Nice save." he whispered before they came over and gathered around the kid.

"You should go somewhere else before he wakes. We don't need him to freak out with seeing a real live dragon around." Yugi whispered to Yami and he nodded. /I'll keep an eye out to make sure no guards come by this way./ he said before leaping off the ground and stuck hiding away in the shadows of the ceiling.

After a few minute, the kid started to stir and once he woke, the first thing he saw was Kero, who was acting like a stuffed toy, in Yugi's hand and yelped, standing up quickly and holding the flat blade in front of him. "It's alright. He's only a plush toy." Yugi said. "Then, what about the voice?" he questioned. "Just a little ventriloquism." Ryou spoke. The kid scrutinized Kero before snorting. "Can't believe I got so freaked by that face." he whispered and Kero would've growled if Yugi didn't pull him back, placing him onto his shoulder. "So, what are you doing here? You're not a thief, are you?"

The kid shook his head. "Of course not! What about you three? I tell you this, if you were the one who messed up that painting, you'll be sorry." he hissed. "We never do such a thing. We're...we're..." Yugi started. "We're elegant thieves." Kero piped up and Yugi send a side glare at him.

"Kero!" he hissed.

"Thieves? Then you..." the kid started but Yugi shook his head. "No! We aren't thieves!" he proclaimed. "I just came here to get something that I forgotten earlier today." he lied, hoping that he would believe him.

"Oh really? Then why are you dressed like a thief?"

"It's his hobby." Diamond spoke and Yugi looked at her quizzically before shrugging. _'Better excuse than I could think of.'_ he thought. The boy sighed before nodding. "Ok. As long as none of you messed with the painting, you're alright by me." he said before he started walking off. "Now I'm in a hurry so I'll leave you alone." As he was leaving, Yugi called to him.

"Hey wait! Yuuki!"

The boy turned back to him in surprise. "How'd you know my name? I never told you." he said. Yugi dug through a pocket and took out the nametag he found and handed it to him. "Oh. It must've fallen of my bag when I was here earlier today."

"Were you really trying to rip that painting?" Yugi asked. "No! I wasn't trying to rip it! I was trying to restore it back to the way it was!" he shouted but not loud enough to have it echo through the museum and catch a guard's attention. He looked down quietly before speaking in a softer voice. "My papa's name was Tenkai Tachibana and he a painter. He painted that portrait last summer." Yuuki started to explain.

"Oh, I remember hearing about Tachibana. He has done splendid art throughout the years. But last year was when..." Yuuki nodded before Ryou could finish. "Yes. Last autumn, he got sick and died. That painting was a reminder of our trip to the beach that summer. He wanted to make it as a memory and I loved it. So did my mother. But now, someone gone and doodled over it and ruined that precious memory." he whispered. Yugi felt bad for him and stood.

"Don't worry, Yuuki! I know how you feel. I felt the same when someone doodled all over my drawing." At this, he gave a look to Kero who faltered under his gaze. "We'll help you restore that painting."

Yuuki turned from them. "I don't need any help. I can do fine by myself." he said haughtily and Kero growled. "What? When people are trying to help, you--" His mouth was covered by Yugi and Yuuki turned back to them. "Did he speak on his own?" he asked.

"N-no. Just ventriloquism again." Yugi said, holding Kero and moving his mouth, making his speak out something else than what he nearly shouted out earlier. "Fine. Just don't get in my way." Yuuki spoke as he grabbed his bag and started walking off.

Kero huffed. "I don't like that little brat." he whispered and Ryou took a glance at his watch. "We lost a lot of time, I'm afraid. We need to hurry." he said and they nodded.

Diamond turned to the roof and called to Yami who flew down silently and landed beside her and she took hold of the collar once more, he still being blinded but was starting to fade away and they followed Yuuki to the painting. As they walked, Yugi knew that he couldn't use magic in front of Yuuki. "I'll talk with him while you capture the card. Since scaring him off didn't work, let's hope this will." Ryou said and Yugi nodded, thanking him. Soon, they reached the painting and Kero took a glance at it before nodding.

"Yeah. That's definitely the Silent card." he whispered to Yugi.

Yuuki started walking towards the painting and examined it closely. "The doodle is still fresh. Since this painting is an oil painting, a light scratching at it should peel it off without damaging anything underneath it." he concluded and Yugi smiled. "You sure do know a lot about paintings." Yugi said and Yuuki blushed faintly.

"Someday, I want to be a painter just like my papa." he said and Ryou smiled. "I'm sure you will be. Especially with the knowledge you know." Ryou gave a nod to Yugi and started to talk with Yuuki, distracting him from looking at the painting and Yugi snuck away from them.

When he was standing in front of the image, he raised his staff, ready to seal away the card but Yuuki's voice started to rise and Ryou tried to quiet him. But it was too late for Yugi caught the image moving again, giving a shushing motion to them. "If you talk too loud, the security guard will..." he stopped, looking to the picture as well along with Yuuki.

Everything started to blur around them and soon, all they saw was white and when it cleared away, they were now in the courtyard, standing in front of the window that faced the painting. Yuuki sighed and looked through the window to the painting.

"Not again. Every time I get close to the painting, I get sent outside." he said and Ryou looked to Kero. "This must be the other power of Silent. If you make a sound, it forces you outside." he said before going quiet when Yuuki turned to face them. "At first, I thought it was a ghost so I came in the afternoon, but it didn't work! Now what can I do?" he whispered before going silent when he finally spotted Yami and shivered in fear.

"T-There's a dragon b-behind you." he stuttered.

"Oh. It's ok. It's really ok. I know, he's an actual dragon but he won't harm you. Right now, he can't see properly so no need to worry." Diamond explained. Yuuki was still wary but nodded.

"A ghost?" Yugi whispered before getting an idea. "I know. Yuuki, I think this always happened because you were too loud. Maybe if you're quiet, the ghost won't send your outside." Yugi explained. "So, it's ok if I'm quiet?" Yugi nodded. "Ok...but if it's really a ghost then I can't peel it off the painting." he whispered and Yugi frowned.

"So are you going to head home?" he asked. Yuuki shook his head. "No! I'm going to fix my papa's painting one way or another. Come. There a way back in over there." he said, pointing to said entrance and they all headed back inside once more. Once the got to the painting, Yuuki opened his case which had a variety of paints and tools and he picked up a small flashlight, placing it around the hat he wore and took the flat blade but it slipped from his finger, making a clattering sound at it hit the floor.

"Oh man, don't tell me just from that sound...?" Yugi moaned and as predicted, the room started to blur as the Silent's magic went to work and sent them outside again. Again, they walked back inside and again, Yuuki took out what he need and closed the case with a soft snap and Yugi held up a random sign that read 'Quietly!'

Ryou held up another sign that read 'We don't have much time left. We need to hurry!' and Yugi nodded. But fate turned against them as Kero sneezed and Yuuki turned to him. Yugi gave a soft cough, making it looked as if he sneezed, and both of them shushed him but again, Silent's magic went to work and sent them outside again.

They groaned and Yami held up a sign that read 'This is hopeless. There has to be another way.'

"You have a point there but what can we do?" Yuuki whispered before clenching his fists. "I'll do this myself!" he said before running off. "Wait, Yuuki!" Yugi called, ready to run after him but Diamond held him back. "We don't have much time. The guards are going to make their rounds soon." she spoke. Yuuki was running towards the hall with the painting when a flashlight caught him.

"Who is it?" the guard called and Yuuki continued to run, the guard following behind him. "Wait! Stop right there!" he shouted. Yuuki continued to run but because of his short stature, he was soon caught by the guard.

"Oh no, he's caught." Diamond whispered. "This place is getting too dangerous." Kero said. /We need to hide./ Yami said and they nodded as they went to hide behind a statue while Yami flew into the air, nothing being large enough to hide his entire form. Yugi, Diamond and Ryou peeked out, seeing Yuuki trying to fight with the guard but his efforts were useless.

"I have to help him. But how?" he said quietly then gazed at the shadows and soon got an idea. He stood, taking out the Shadow card and tossed it in the air.

"Shadows, project my figure through the glass! Shadow!" he chanted and tapped the glass. Shadow formed out from the card before diving towards the ground, stretching out towards the window and slipping through the glass easily before becoming Yugi's shadow. "First thing's first." he said as he pushed the shadow of the guard which cause him to topple over and releasing his grip on Yuuki who ran off.

"Hey! Get back here!" he called as he stood and followed before he lost track of the smaller child. Diamond smiled as she recorded the entire scene. "Nothing less from you, Yugi." she whispered. "Now, time to...wait." he spoke then saw that his shadow couldn't reach the painting.

"Here, let me help." Ryou said, taking out the flashlight and shining it towards the floor, giving Shadow more light and Yugi thanked him. Ryou guided the light up the wall by the painting and Yugi held his staff up.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" Silent's eyes finally opened, turning to gaze at the shadow of Yugi but the shadowed form of the staff tapped the painting where Silent rested, the entire painting glowing before the glow returned to the form of a card.

Yugi grabbed it before the shadow of him slid back outside. Once it was outside, Shadow returned back into a card, leaving the Silent card upon the ground and Yugi went over to grab it, smiling as he held it up.

"Wonderful as always." Diamond said with a smile. Yugi nodded before they turned, hearing the guard coming and ran of to hide once more. The guard sighed as he reached down to grab his flashlight, which he dropped when he went to chase Yuuki. "Miracle that I lost track of that kid." he said before flashing the flashlight towards the painting and gaped while the other three gasped.

He stepped back in fright before running off, calling to the other guards that the painting was changed. When he was gone, they walked out and looked to the restored painting. Yuuki came up behind them and sighed. "It was no good. The guards found me so they're searching." he said.

"I don't think so. Look there." Yugi said and Ryou flashed the light towards the painting and Yuuki looked up. His eyes widened as he saw the painting and ran towards the window, his hat falling off and long brown locks now resting against his back, revealing that she wasn't a boy after all. She smiled when she saw the true painting was back once more, showing it was of her smiling brightly as she gazed in through the summer beach house window where she stayed that summer. _'It's back to normal, papa. It's back to normal.'_ she thought.

They walked over to her side and Yugi smiled down to her. "So, you were really a girl this entire time. Sorry for assuming you were a boy." Yugi said. "No, I should be the one that's sorry. If it wasn't for your help, I would never have returned the painting back to the way it is." Yuuki said.

Diamond smiled and pets her head. "We were glad to have helped." Soon, they left the museum and stood away from the front door and Yuuki was ready to head back home but stopped, waving back to them.

"Thanks again for your help! Thanks so much!" she said before running off. "Ja ne!" They waved back to her before Yugi turned to Ryou. "Such a nice kid she was. She wanted to best for her father since that panting will be the last memory she will ever have of him." Yugi spoke.

"The heart of a child thinking of the parent...what a good story!" Kero spoke and Yugi laughed. "For once, you play cool, Kero!" he said, making diamond and Ryou chuckle as well. "A little tasteful but inspiring." Diamond stated. "Now, tell me how you though of using shadow to get the Silent card?" she asked.

"Well, I remember Kero's shadow-art from earlier." Yugi explained as they started to walk off, never noticing the figure on a tower of the museum. "Ah! So I was able to do something than be a puppet! Finally!" Kero said with a grin. _'One for me and zip for Yami. I am of more help to Yugi than a detector of the Clow cards.'_ he thought smugly.

"Now I wonder, where did the dragon go? He never came back after I got the card." Yugi whispered.

"He must've left. He must've known that you had everything under control from there so he didn't need to be there to help if you encounter any problems." Kero said. Far from there, Yami sat upon a building, a hand touching the small charm upon the collar he wore which was now fitted for both of his forms. _'Soon, small one. Soon, I will tell you more.'_ he thought before he shifted back into a dragon and returned home.

Back at the museum, the shadowed figure that stood upon the tower held a board in hand that was glowing softly. His eyes were shadowed by his hair but he whispered on thing into the wind.

"I sense a Clow card..."

* * *

Zypher: Done. Hope you like and now time for another poll. Glad no one but Keara, but she loves him just as much as I do, asked about this but any who, should I add in Yue? I won't change Seth to Yukito but what I have in mind is that Seto will be like a new Moon guardian of the Seal in training and Yue is his teacher and will be there to handle anything that may become a problem to Seto.

Of course, Seto is hardheaded and will try to accomplish his role to protect Yugi when he's in danger and try to prove that he can become the next guardian to Yue. Tell me what you think and remember, not making any changes to any characters that are already in here as far as I have it. We'll still voting with Vivian as Meiling as so far, we have two votes so continue to send them in.

Also, now I finally came up with a semi-idea to use for that blindness idea I had in mind from earlier. As I mentioned, I will start using it as an effect that Yami and Aqua both have only when they're in their true card forms. When they're out in the sun too long, their eyesight will start to film over, making them blind for a period of time but it will be restored, slowly but surely, once they get into the dark somewhere, which will also give another explanation why Aqua only shows up during the day as a human and Yami during the night as his true form. See you soon.


	8. A New Rival

Zypher: Hello again and welcome to another chapter. Glad you have enjoyed the last chapter and it is now time for Li's entrance into the story. Enjoy.

Big ol' note: Reminder, Li is in high school as well. So will Meiling (Vivian so far. We got three for her over Meiling now) Don't forget or else you will find yourself highly confused and start asking questions that have already been answered in this little note.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 8

* * *

As Yugi slept, he started to have another dream. He was at Tokyo Tower like his first dream. The cards were raining down from nowhere and Kero turned to glance at him, or what he believed to be him since he couldn't see the face of the person standing on the edge of the building.

But there was a new scene and this time, it showed a boy in a Chinese styled outfit holding an odd board in hand. _'I had this dream before...but is it me, or someone else...and who is this new person...'_ he wondered and again, he saw something gliding across the sky but like last time, before he could get the chance to look, everything went dark and he soon woke up.

The alarm was still ringing and he shut it off before looking to Kero who was already awake. "Kero, I had another dream. It was the same as the last but there was someone new in it." Yugi spoke. "Really? This is the second time you had this dream. Maybe this time, your magical powers speaks of an omen that is about to befall you. At the most, sometime in the future, you will see this boy in Chinese clothing soon." Kero spoke and Yugi looked down to the sheets. "Maybe." he whispered before getting out of bed and went to get ready for school.

* * *

When he got to school, he switched out of his skates and into the traditional school shoes and placed his skates away. He was about to walk off when he heard someone calling his name. He turned and saw a girl running up to him, brown hair tied into two ponytails and emerald eyes shining brightly. He smiled when he realized who it was.

"Sakura! It's been so long!" he said happily as the other jumped into his arms.

"Hi, Yugi-kun! I missed you!" she said as she hugged her childhood friend.

"So, when did you move here?" Yugi asked as he walked with her to the principal's office to sign in as a new student. "We moved not long ago. We were still unpacking so that's why you never caught me in school yet but I'm glad to be here now." she said, smiling. "Yeah. It's great to see an old friend. Come to my lunch table later on today and I'll let you meet my other friends." Sakura nodded and gave Yugi another hug before heading into the principal's office and Yugi headed on to his class.

It was still early so Yugi was talking with his friends before the teacher came in and after a few minutes, everyone headed to their seats as Terada-sensei walked in. the class said their morning greeting before sitting down once more. "Ok, class. Today, we have two new students. Please give them a warm welcome." he spoke as he started writing names on the board as the door slid open and two people walked in.

One was clearly Sakura, who waved over to Yugi once she came to a stop beside Terada-sensei's desk. The other was a boy, brown eyes watching Yugi closely. After he gave a wave to Sakura again, Yugi locked eyes with the other boy and felt there was something about him that he should worry about.

"This is Li Syaoran, a transfer student from Hong Kong, and Sakura Kinomoto." Terada-sensei spoke and the class greeted them warmly before Terada-sensei gave them their seats and Yugi was the unfortunate one to have Li sitting right behind him. He shivered, still feeling his burning gaze at his back. _'Just met him today and already he thinks we're enemies. And I have a bad feeling about it more than ever.'_ Yugi thought as class continued on.

* * *

Soon, it was lunch time and as promised, Yugi went to lead Sakura over to his friends, after doing so, he went to go and get his own lunch but that was hindered by the last person he wanted to see. Li was standing before him, holding the board in hand and watching him with a stern look. "Alright. You're new here. I understand that. But by all means, what do you want with me?" Yugi questioned. Li didn't say a word, instead he closed his eyes and started to chant.

"Imperial King of gods, thy divinity that watches over all four corners. Metal, wood, fire, earth, water, thunder, lightning and wind." he spoke, holding the board out and soon, glowing kanji started to appear along the surface of the board as he repeated the chant once more. "Whirling blade of lightning, answer my call!" he called as two glowing dots aligned on the board and the center started to glowing brightly before a strand of light shot out at Yugi and he gasped as the magic affected him.

It continued on for a while longer before Li broke the connection, jumping back and glared at him. "Just as I thought. You have Clow cards!" he declared and Yugi gasped. _'How does he know of them?'_ he thought in shock. "Hand them over!" he demanded and Yugi's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know of them?" he questioned. Li held up the compass, gaze still locked on Yugi. "This compass was created to search for the Clow Cards!" he explained before holding out his hand. "Now hand over all that you have." he demanded once more.

"No! I promise Kero that I would collect them all." he said and Li gasped. "Kero...? You don't mean Keroberos, the Beast Guardian of the Seal?" he questioned. "Yes, I do mean him. How do you know of him?" Yugi demanded, tired of Li figuring out things without explaining yet how he knew of it all except for the board that detected he was in possession of the Clow cards. Li huffed indignantly as he looked to Yugi. "Kinda surprising to see that the strongest guardian would leave the capturing of the cards to a kid like you." Yugi growled angrily.

"You're not much older than me so you have no right to say that." he hissed before looking down.

"And Kero doesn't have the power to revert to his true form yet." he explained quietly. "He's the Beast Guardian of the Sun." Li started and Yugi looked to him. "He rules over fire and earth. Do you have those two element cards yet?" he questioned and Yugi shook his head. "Typical. How long have you been searching?" he asked again.

"I've been searching since April. What does that matter to you?" Li huffed again. "You've been searching that long and you have yet to collect them all?" he whispered before looking to him once more. "I'll handle the rest! Now hand over the cards you have now!" he said. Yugi placed a hand over the pocket which they rested and he looked to the pocket.

"So, they're in your pocket." he said as he walked closer and Yugi backed away. Sakura was calling for Yugi, seeing as he never came back yet and they were getting worried. When she came around the corner, he spotted him being assaulted by Li and gasped. "Yugi-kun?" she cried as she ran over. "Let him go!" she said.

Li didn't listen to a word she said, only trying to get the cards from Yugi's pocket but he jumped back when he saw a figure jumped in from out of nowhere. Yugi fell back and looked up to the figure before gasping. "Aqua!" he said in surprise.

He turned to him and smiled before glaring at Li. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, crimson eyes narrowed. Li didn't say a word, only got into a fighting stance and Aqua chuckled. "So, you want a fight? You may be a kid in my eyes but no one messes with Yugi." he said, getting into a fighting stance as well. Sakura ran over to Yugi and helped him up.

"Are you alright, Yugi-kun?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." he whispered as he looked to Aqua and Li. They were still at a standstill, not one making a move.

"May be a problem to fight on school grounds but I'm not going to sit here and let you hurt him!" he growled as he charged forward. "Aqua! Aqua! They still had some left!" A voice called, causing him to stumble and hit the ground. Yugi and Sakura winced at the no-so-graceful fall and looked to who was calling and saw it was Seth. Li looked as well and started to shudder.

"They still had some nikuman left along with some pizza-bread and curry-bread." Seth said as he held the bag filled with food. "Thanks for the food update, Seth but I'm kinda in the middle of something." Aqua said as he stood and sent a glare to the silent student.

"Oh, sorry." he said sheepishly before turning to Sakura and Yugi. "Would you like some instead? I brought enough for us all." he said, pulling out two of the meat-filled buns and handed them to Yugi and Sakura. "Thanks. I'm actually pretty hungry now." Yugi said as he took a bite. Aqua looked to Seth and asked for a nikuman before sending another glare to Li.

"You're lucky I'm eating now." he said before taking a bite of own nikuman. Seth walked over to Li who faltered under presence. "Would you like one as well?" he asked, bringing out another nikuman. Li flushed darkly and started backing away before dashing off, tripping over a rock along the way but he quickly got up once more and was soon around the corner.

The others watched his speedy retreat, each with a different thought in mind. "Oh well, more for me." Seth said as he ate the nikuman in hand. As they ate, Yugi turned to Aqua curiously. "Aqua, how did you know I was in trouble?" Yugi asked. "That sixth sense in me told me that something was about to happen. I came by since Seth invited me for lunch." Aqua explained before smiling down to him and reached over to stroke his cheek lightly. "And I couldn't let some punk like him hurt you." he whispered suavely and Yugi flushed just as bad as Li did.

Sakura giggled softly at seeing the flush on her friend's face and leaned over to him. "I think he likes you, Yugi. You two would make a great couple." she whispered and Yugi blushed even more. "Sakura! Stop embarrassing me!" he said and they all laughed softly and continued to eat before it was time for Yugi, Seth and Sakura to head back to their classes.

"Yugi." Aqua called and he turned to him. "If that punk messes with you again, don't hesitate to run and look for me or your friends. We're there for you." he said and Yugi nodded, giving the other a small hug.

"Thanks for helping me today. For a second, I thought he was going to take what was important to me." he said softly. "I won't let him. He doesn't have the right to." he said before leaning down and placed a soft kiss upon his forehead. "Keep them guarded well, small Cardcaptor." he whispered and Yugi's eyes widened as he heard the whispered words and was about to call for Aqua but he was already gone. _'But how...? How does he know I'm a Cardcaptor...'_ Yugi thought in shock before he headed for his class before the second bell rang.

* * *

After school, Zella, Diamond, Sakura, Yugi and Ryou were walking home. "Well, I need to go now. See you tomorrow!" she said as she headed across the street. They said their goodbyes as well before walking along. It was only a few seconds later that Yugi realized that Zella's house wasn't the way she went. "Wait a sec...her house wasn't that way!" he exclaimed. "Oh, you don't know? She's going to get a gift." Ryou said.

"A gift? For who?"

"For a very good friend. His birthday is coming up." Diamond added.

"I don't remember any of our birthdays coming up." Yugi said. "Not for us. For someone she knew for quite a while. He's much older than her but they're really good friends." Ryou explained and Yugi nodded, a little confused. Sakura laughed softly and walked over to Yugi's side.

"I think someone else should make an effort to give a good friend a gift as well. Especially for someone who saved him." Sakura whispered and Yugi flushed again.

"Quit it, Sakura!" he squeaked and she giggled again.

Soon, she was gone from the group and only Yugi, Diamond and Ryou were left to walk the rest of the way to their homes, taking a shortcut through Penguin Park. "So, did you try calling Kero and asking him about that transfer student?" Ryou asked.

"No. At the most, he took a nap and when he does, he's hard to wake up until a certain time." Yugi explained. "Ah, sounds just like him." Diamond said and they laughed softly before they heard the crashing of thunder in the distance. "Oh my, it sounds like it's going to rain." Ryou said.

"Let's head under the penguin slide for cover until it passes." Yugi and Ryou nodded in agreement and dashed over to the slid, getting under the small opening just as the dark clouds came over the park. They still heard the thunder but not a trace of rain. "Hey, there's no rain yet." Yugi whispered as he looked outside but the thunder came crashing down, hitting a light pole and he cried out, scooting back farther in their small shelter. The lightning bolt circuited through light pole after light pole before targeting an electrician that happened to be walking along the path toward the park.

Said person ran off when he saw the bolt and the chase went on shortly before the bolt returned to the clouds above and they continued on their way, bringing back the sunny day. They looked outside, wondering about the odd change in the weather and decided that Kero may be able to conclude something about this strange phenomenon.

* * *

When they got inside, they greeted Sugoroku at the counter of the shop before heading upstairs were Kero was still sleeping. "Kero? Kero, wake up!" Yugi said, nudging the smaller guardian. Yugi huffed before taking a deep breath.

"WAKE UP, KERO!" he yelled right in his ear and he jumped up, fluttering about madly. "Who, what, when, where? What's going on?" he asked, looking to him. "Something odd happened today. Actually, a bunch of odd things happened today but mainly dealing with an odd thunder storm and a new transfer student that came in today." Yugi explained. He nodded and Ryou decided to fetch some tea while Yugi was explaining to Kero about the arrival of Li. "Syaoran Li? He must be a descendent of the Li clan." Kero spoke after Yugi was done the story.

"Li clan?" he questioned.

Kero nodded. "Master Clow Reed was born from a British father and a Chinese mother so much of his magic is a combination of both western and eastern magic." Yugi nodded in realization as he continued to listen. Ryou came back with some tea and handed a cup to Yugi and Diamond while placing another in front of Kero before sitting down next to Yugi. Kero explained more about the magic held within the cards and how the ancient magic is passed down. After he was done, Yugi smiled. "Wow. Clow Reed sounded like a really amazing person."

"Well, he did have his problems." Kero whispered and Yugi looked to him curiously. "Problems?" he asked and Kero only shook his head. "Its nothing." he replied. "As for Li, his family was from Clow's mother side and was powerful and famous sorcerers in China."

"So that means that Li..." Diamond started and Kero nodded.

"He's possibly a distant, distant relative of Clow's family." he said and took another sip of his tea. Yugi took out the cards he had and sighed. "So, then maybe it would've been better if I gave him the cards instead?" he whispered and Kero shook his head. "Nope." Kero flew up into the air and started to glow softly before moving over to his desk where the book rested and brought it out, going back over to Yugi.

"You were the one to open the book and awaken me. I told you the first time we met that the seal is only broken by someone who has even the slightest trace of magic within them. Not only that but each card you have now has your name on them so they only obey you. You are qualified to have these cards Yugi and no one else can tell you otherwise." Yugi smiled, watching as the cards circled around them but the moment was soon broken by Diamond.

"You guys, we have a problem." she said as Yugi stood. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Take a look at the sky." she replied, pointing up to the window. Yugi and Kero looked and saw there was tons of clouds gathering, bringing in the odd thunder that they witnessed before. "This was the same thing that happened earlier today." Yugi spoke quietly.

"This is the work of a Clow card. The Thunder card by the looks of it. We need to get there and quickly." Yugi nodded and they all left out the house and started making their way towards where the card could possibly be causing havoc, Diamond making a detour back to her and Ryou's house to fetch another battle outfit that she prepared for a case like this.

* * *

At the park, Yugi changed into the outfit which had a cat theme to it. It consisted of a long sleeved black shirt with a crimson vest over it and black pants with wave-like lightning bolts going down the sides, also a crimson color. He wore steel toed, red rubber insolated boots over his feet and to top it off, a pair of cat ears that were black with a red interior, a small collar around his neck with a silver bell and a long black cat tail that curled near the end attached to the back of his pants.

"You look adorable, Yugi." Diamond said with a smile and Yugi blushed faintly, thanking her before turning to Kero. "So, what are we up against?" he asked. "The Thunder card is a very formidable opponent. It will take a lot to capture it." Kero said.

Yugi nodded and pulled out Fly and summoned it, bringing out the wings upon the staff and flew over towards the building where Thunder had decided to hop over within a bolt of electricity. "Yugi, that guy you told me about. Didn't you say he had some sort of compass?" Kero asked as they flew towards Thunder's location.

"Yeah. It was some sort of board with letter scrawled on the surface. Why?" Yugi asked as they got closer. Kero frowned. "Clow-sama said he left that board to the people on his mother's side so once that kid senses Thunder rampaging about, he will come. We need to capture it first." Kero explained and Yugi nodded.

Not far from then, Yami watched the darkened skies, ears flattened over his skull. _'There's another with magical abilities about. Looks like Yugi is going to have a rival but either way, I won't let him fail the mission he was given as a Cardcaptor.'_ he thought as he leapt from the building and started making his way to where Yugi, and most likely the other, is heading.

In the air, Yugi was gliding looking for any sign of Thunder but he was in for a surprise as the card came for him and he dodged the bolt but it curved around and came to attack him once more. He dodged it again and moved to land upon a building, watching the bolt with a close eye. "How am I supposed to get it back to its original form?"

"You have to find a way that could be used to stop it in its tracks and reveal its form."

"Just like I did when I fought against the Shadow?" Kero nodded before looking up just in time to see Thunder making another attack. "Here it comes!" he exclaimed and Yugi pulled out another card. "Jump!" he called and two pairs of small wings appeared right on the heels of his feet and he jumped out the way of the deadly bolt.

He landed on top of another building and knowing that Thunder will continue to follow, he started to hop across the buildings, Thunder following close behind through the streetlights as he presumed. He landed on the top of a bell tower, looking out for Thunder once more. "But this isn't that simple. How am I to change it back?" Yugi questioned.

Kero didn't answer but another voice broke the silence. "You don't even know that. How pathetic are you?" Li questioned, dressed in the same outfit Yugi remembered from his dream, and gaped. "What are you doing here?" Yugi hissed as Thunder continued to advance closer and closer to the trio. "To capture this card, that's what." he said as he held up the sword and closed his eyes as he placed his fore and middle fingers against the blade.

"Thunder God, answer my call!" he chanted and as Thunder came at them, he slashed the blade towards the card, sending a bolt of lightning back at the card and it engulfed Thunder, sending the bolt that made up the card towards the roof of the building they stood on and before their eyes, it shifted back into its true form.

Li jumped down, ready to confront the card himself and feeling the need to not be upstage by the other, Yugi jumped down as well, landing beside him. Thunder, now as a giant thunder-beast, roared, electricity coursing over its body. Li didn't look to Yugi but started to speak. "I can't believe you didn't know how to shift Thunder back into its true form." he spoke and Kero growled. "I was about to explain that before you came." he murmured.

"Now if you don't mind, we have a card to capture. Go ahead, Yugi." he said, looking back to Yugi who nodded and pulled out Windy be before he could eyen activate the card, Li stopped him. "You can't fight Thunder with Windy, moron!" he insulted and Yugi huffed angrily.

"I caught many cards by holding them down with Windy!" he retorted. "Well, it won't work this time! Do you have the Shadow card?" he questioned and Yugi nodded. As they shared their banter, Thunder started walking closer, deep growls being heard from the angry beast. Li held up his sword again, closing his eyes once more in concentration.

"Petals of wind, answer my call!" he chanted as he slashed the blade towards the beast, sending a gust of wind that sent the card over the edge of the roof and toward the ground. As it reformed back, Thunder gave another roar as Yugi and Li appeared near the edge of the roof. "Use Shadow now!" he said and Yugi nodded.

"Shadow!" he called and tapped the card with the staff, and the card formed into the shadow cloaked figure and it went down to wrap shadows around the thunder-beast, so sealing it up within a ball. They jumped down and Yugi readied his staff. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he chanted and had the card materialize which took in both Shadow and Thunder, returning back to their card forms and he reached down to pick up the cards.

"So, that's the Sealing Staff?" Li questioned as he walked by Yugi. "Too bad you barely know anything that deals with capturing these cards correctly." he murmured. Those words felt like poison through his veins and he looked down, not saying a word.

"Hey! Don't go asking for the impossible, kid! Yugi only started collecting the cards and he can't be going around, pinpointing each on as easily as you think!" Kero spoke, coming out and Li looked to him with slight confusion. "What in the hell are you?" he asked.

"He's Kero." Yugi whispered. "Kero? As in Keroberos!" he exclaimed as examined the smaller guardian. "The Beast Guardian of the Sun with the golden eyes..." he whispered before poking him.

"Are you sure this isn't some animated plush toy?" he questioned and angered by the proclamation, Kero bit his finger. Hard.

Li yelped as he tried to shake the other from his finger and once he dislodged the guardian, he snorted. "Oh well. Still, you aren't capable of collecting these cards, Yugi. So you best give up and leave it to someone who can." he spoke and was about to walk off when he heard something land and an immense power coming from it. He turned and gasped when he saw Yami beside Yugi.

/And what makes you think you're any better?/ he hissed, crimson eyes glaring down upon the other.

"Yugi's measly powers aren't worth it. He must've become the next Cardcaptor by accident. If he doesn't even know the simplest way to change a card back into it true form, not to mention noticing one right under his nose, he doesn't deserve to even hold the Sealing Staff." Li spoke with a touch of anger before he walked off.

/Kid, you best learn who not to anger and I'm one of them that you surely shouldn't piss off. Where Keroberos can't help, I will and defending Yugi from selfish brats like you is my top priority. You may have magical powers but it only less to what Yugi will be capable of soon enough. Learn you place soon, no matter whether you're part of the Li clan or not./ Yami hissed.

Li only huffed once more before he was gone. Yugi was still silent and Yami turned to him, leaning down to nuzzle him. /Don't listen to a thing he says. You are worthy of the title of Cardcaptor and he won't say so otherwise./ Yami spoke before looking up, hearing Diamond running over to them.

"Yugi, are you alright? You weren't hurt, were you?" she asked softly. /He's fine. Just hurt emotionally. I'm going to take him home./ he said and Diamond nodded before giving Yugi a small hug. "I hope you feel better soon." she said and Yugi nodded quietly. She left and Yugi climbed onto Yami's back before the other flew back to his home, Kero following behind them but reflected upon the words Li said.

_'...not to mention noticing one right under his nose...'_

_'What could he have mean by that?'_ Kero thought before looking to Yami. _'Could it actually be that Yami is a Clow card and I just haven't realized it yet?'_ he wondered but it wasn't long before they reached the game shop and Yami entered through the skylight, landing upon the floor quietly and helped Yugi from his back. Yugi placed the two cards upon his desk and kicked off his boots before grabbing some nightclothes and left the room to head into the bathroom and change.

They watched him go before Kero sighed. "He's really down thanks to what that kid said." Kero spoke and Yami nodded. /For once, I actually agree with you. I'm going to stay around more often so when another card reveals itself, I can be there to make sure that brat doesn't go and make Yugi feel worse./ he said.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? It seems he suspicious about you." Kero said. _'And so am I.'_ he thought afterwards. Yami sent a very, very dark look towards the other that made him flinch and shy away. /I'm staying by his side, Keroberos and if you get in my way, the results won't be pleasant./ he sneered and Kero nodded.

_'Being this small should give me enough warning to not provoke him. In my true form, I stand a chance but right now, not so much and the last thing I need is to be mauled by someone three times my size.'_ Kero thought as he heard the door open once more and Yugi walking in. He climbed into bed and curled up underneath the covers and Yami walked over to the bed, jumping up and curling his body around the smaller.

/Remember, don't think about anything he said to you. Your powers aren't measly or insignificant. You are still learning so we can't expect miracles from you just yet. Soon, your powers will be greater and more powerful than they are now and you can prove to him that you are the one destined to be the Cardcaptor./ Yami whispered. Yugi finally let his emotions free and hugged Yami around his neck and cried softly, the other rubbing his back softly.

Soon, Yugi feel to a dreamless slumber and Yami licked his cheeks free of the tears he shed and nuzzled him. _'You are nothing less than the Cardcaptor that I know is worthy to own the Ying Dragons card.'_ Yami thought before he too fell asleep.

* * *

Zypher: And another end to another chapter. I think I made Li jump way over the boundaries of his usual routine of insulting Yugi's abilities in capturing cards. Good thing is, Yugi won't be taking those insults without a fight unless they hurt him badly like it did for this chapter. -blanches- Won't happen again since Yami will be there to defend him and probably give Li a good scare while he's at it. Anywho, hoped you enjoyed and I'll see you later. Don't forget to vote for having Vivian take Meiling's place. Also, thank Keara for the costume idea for this chapter.


	9. The Brooch of the Sword

Zypher: Well, here we are with another chapter. Glad you all enjoyed the last. Now, time to see if I can throw in some more fluff. I tell you, next to Darkness Reign, which has the most lemons, this story must have the most fluff and probably will continue to have some until the end. -laughs- Anywho, read on.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 9

* * *

At school the next day, Yugi was still feeling a little down due to Li's harsh words to him the night before. He was glad Yami was there to comfort him when he needed it. _'Even though I stood up to him taunting me before, those words still burn a hole through my heart. Kero chose me to be the next Cardcaptor but what if I can't capture all the cards?'_ he thought sadly. From afar, Sakura spotted him and called his name but he never answered.

_'I wonder what's wrong. He was so cheerful yesterday. Maybe it was that new kid.'_ Sakura thought and huffed angrily. "Baka Li." she muttered before she ran to catch up with Yugi. "Yugi! Yugi, wait up!" she called and Yugi finally turned to see her coming.

"Oh. Morning, Sakura." he said as they continued on to their class. "Yugi, you're not as cheerful as you were yesterday. Did something happen? Or was it when Li assaulted you yesterday that's making you feel so bad." she asked. "Oh no, it wasn't that. Just something that happened yesterday but really, I'm alright." he said, giving a smile to reassure her.

Sakura nodded, still worrying for her friend but if he was alright, she'll believe him. They walked into class and Zella looked up, smiling warmly. "Ohayou, Yugi-kun." she greeted happily and Yugi only nodded as he headed over to his desk. Zella frowned as she watched him walk and looked to Sakura.

"Did something happen that I don't know of, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "I think so but he's covering it up and I'm worried about it." Zella nodded and took a flower from the bouquet that rested in the vase and walked over to Yugi desk. Said boy placed his bag on the desk and sat down, keeping his head lower. He felt someone tapping his shoulder and looked up to Zella. "Here." she said, holding out the flower.

"Be happy, Yugi. Whatever happened to you, you shouldn't let it bring you down." Zella spoke and Yugi looked to the flower and then back to her before smiling. "You're right. Thanks, Zella." he said and she smiled before she headed off to her seat.

The door slid open again and Yugi looked up to see Li walking in. He sneered slightly as the other boy made his way to his seat but knew he had to be thankful for Li's help. "Hey Li," he called and he looked up. "Thanks for helping me with capturing the card last night. Although you were a jerk, I can at least be grateful for that." Sakura heard what he said and was curious. _'Capturing a card? I wonder.'_ she thought. "It was nothing. If you're going to be the new Cardcaptor, you should at least know that much." Li spoke and Yugi growled.

_'So much for thanking him. Never do that again and next time, I'll take things into my hands.'_ he thought and then got a thought. "Li, as much as I hate asking you anything, those clothes you wore, is it something people usually wear around your hometown? I remember seeing a boy with those same clothes on in my dream." he asked and Li looked up in surprise.

"Those clothes are the ceremonial garments that are passed down within my clan. There's no possible way you knew how they looked." he whispered before sighing. "I see. You must have enough magical power to be able to see the future and knew what my ceremonial clothes looked like." Li said before hearing someone call his name and looked up to see Marik walking over to him.

"Li, it's your turn to do the daily chores. I know you're new and all but those are the rules." he explained and Li grumbled slightly before getting up, taking the erasers Marik held and went over to the window to top them free of chalk dust. Marik followed behind him, also telling him the other chores that he had to do. Yugi twirled the flower in his hand, staying silent and waiting for class to start.

* * *

The same dream appeared again. Yugi standing on the edge of a building, facing Tokyo Tower.

_'Yugi...'_

/Who is it?/ He whispered, feeling himself pitch forward, eyes closing. /Who are you?/

* * *

"Motou!" Terada-sensei called and Yugi bolted up awake. "Huh?" he squeaked before looking over to Terada-sensei. "Did you get enough sleep last night?" he questioned. "No, I guess not." Yugi whispered. "Well then hopefully tonight you get better sleep. Homeroom is done." he said and Yugi looked down, not believing in the slightest that he slept throughout homeroom and was never awakened. Terada-sensei looked down to him before walking off.

"That will be all for today, class. Don't forget to complete you assignment." he spoke and they class gave their response before leaving out. Diamond, Ryou and Sakura walked over to Yugi's desk as he started gathering his things and stood.

Not far from them, Zella was watching Terada-sensei quietly and Yugi spotted her watching him and wonder what could be wrong. "Is something wrong, Yugi?" Sakura asked and he looked to her, shaking his head. "Oh no. Nothing wrong." he said, his thoughts going back to the dream. Li finally stood and give Yugi one last look, he left out the class as well.

Sakura placed a hand upon his shoulder and he looked to her. "Must be a little nerve-wracking to have Li sitting behind you, right?" she asked and he had to nod at that. "Yeah." She leaned closer before whispering something in his ear. "You also going to have to tell me about this 'capturing the cards' bit that I was able to catch onto earlier." Yugi yelped and looked to her in shock.

"You really weren't supposed to hear anything about that!" he said and she grinned. "I know but I just happened to heard what he said and that made me curious. Planning to tell me about it?" she questioned.

"I guess I have to now since I can't keep it hidden without you asking a bunch of questions and having other people learn about it." Yugi said softly and she nodded. "You can tell me after school." Sakura said then Ryou remembered something.

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Yugi, are you free this afternoon?" he asked. "Yeah but not long. I'm going to help my grandfather with the shop later on."

"Ok then. Would you like to come with me, Diamond and Zella? She found this cute little shop that she wants to go see and since you've been so down today, I think you need something to cheer you up." he said, smiling and Yugi smiled as well. "Thanks. I really do need something to cheer me up." he said.

The quaint little moment was disrupted by a mop shoved nearly into Yugi's face and Marik grinned as he placed the mop on the floor. "Gotta love taking detours to avoid homework for a few hours but you can't ditch your cleaning duties. Don't forget about them before you leave." he said and Yugi blinked slowly before nodding.

"Gotcha."

* * *

After school was done for the day, Zella started leading then to the shop, Diamond quietly explaining to Sakura about Yugi becoming a Cardcaptor and how he's searching for the various cards that are scattered somewhere in the city of Domino. "Sounds interesting. I don't mind coming to see him capture his next card," Sakura said.

"Well, it may be a while. Sometimes it won't be long before we spot another but who knows. It could be weeks on end before we get sight of another." Diamond said as Zella finally stopped outside a homey looking shop and smiled to them.

"Here we are." she said and they smiled as they walked inside. They were amazed by the various antiques and started to look around before Sakura, Zella and Yugi came up to a case filled with brooches. "These are so pretty." Sakura whispered as she looked at the various brooches in the case before picking up one shaped as a cross with a sapphire heart in the center.

Yugi looked over the brooches and saw one that looked familiar. _'This one...it reminds me of the dragon...'_ he thought as he picked up a brooch that was a silver Chinese dragon. It even had ruby eyes the glimmered in the light. Zella looked over them once more before picking out a brooch designed as a sword.

"I think we should get these." Zella spoke and they nodded as they headed to the register and brought their brooches before leaving and decided to head over to Yugi's for a while. When they got there, Yugi headed upstairs to warn Kero that he had company so he couldn't come down. He nodded in agreement and then Yugi left him alone just as he lost the battle he was in on the game he played, finding interest in the vast video game collection Yugi had.

When he got back downstairs, he made his way into the kitchen to fix some tea and in minutes, he came back out, holding a tray with cups and the pitcher filled with tea. "Need any help, Yugi?" Ryou asked.

"No, I'm fine." Yugi said as he set the trap down and headed back into the kitchen, looking into the refrigerator for some snacks and saw some pudding that his father made this morning and took them out before bringing them back into the sitting room. "Here, my otou-san made some pudding for us. We don't have enough so I hop you don't mind sharing." Yugi said and they smiled. "We don't mind at all." Diamond said, taking a plate and both Zell and Sakura did the same. Sakura pour the tea before they sat down and enjoyed their snack.

After a while, Sakura, Yugi and Zella took out the boxes with the brooches inside and opened them. Yugi took out his and placed it on the collar of his uniform jacket and Diamond smiled. "That's looks wonderful." she said and he flushed slightly. "Thanks." Zella put hers on next and Yugi smiled over to her. "Perfect match. You are already so mature and dignified, something like that suits you well." When he didn't get a response, he looked worried.

"Zella?" he called softly. She was still silent, head bowed but soon, she lifted her head up, revealing dulled golden eyes and they gasped. "What's wrong, Zella?" Sakura called but they soon, saw the tiny gem on Zella's sword brooch glow softly before the entire brooch gave out a bright flash and when it dulled, Zella was now standing, holding an odd yet elegant sword in hand.

"Zella!" Yugi cried and she made an attack at him and he barely dodged it, the blade just nicking the ends of his hair. Sakura gasped and stood, moving over to help Yugi but backed away as Zella made another attack at him. "Be careful!" she called to Yugi as he continued to dodge the hits, backing up into the hall and when his back met the wall, Zella took a stab at him and he moved his head out of the way, the tip of the blade piecing the wall.

"Sakura! Ryou! Someone! Go and get Kero!" he called before he started to run, rushing over to the door as Zella followed close behind. "Who's Kero?" Sakura asked. "You'll find out soon." Diamond said as she with Sakura right behind her, ran over to the staircase and Kero made his way down, looking to them.

"What happened? I felt the presence of a Clow Card all of a sudden from upstairs." he spoke. "That's Kero? He looks kinda cute." Sakura whispered and Diamond snickered softly before nodding. Kero sniffed the air lightly before glowering at them. "Hey! No fair! You had pudding and didn't bother to save me any!" he exclaimed.

"No time to worry about that! We have a bigger problem! Something wrong with Zella and she's attacking Yugi with some sort of sword that appeared form a brooch she had."

"Sword? Then it must be the sword card!" Kero spoke. "Sword card?" Sakura questioned and Kero looked to her, nodding. "Yes. The Sword card is a card that when used, gives the user great knowledge of sword fighting." he explained and she nodded.

"Well, enough waiting around. We need to make sure Yugi is alright!" she said and they nodded as they made their way over to the hall where they last spotted Yugi and Zella. With Yugi, he was at the door and, in his panic, tried to get it open. Zella rounded the corner and made an attack once more but before it could hit, Yugi got the door open and tumbled out, avoiding the attack but fell flat on his stomach when he got outside.

/Small one?/ A voice shouted and he looked up to see Yami coming to land down in front of him. /What's going on? I could feel your panic from where I was./ Yugi quickly explained what was going on and he nodded before they saw Zella walking out. /Climb on./ he spoke and Yugi nodded as he leapt onto Yami's back and Yami dodged Zella's attack flawlessly but she kept on, giving him no time to jump into th air. /Hurry, small one. While I'm avoiding her attacks, you bring out the Sealing Staff./

Yugi nodded once more and unhook the Key from the chain. "Release!" Once he had the staff in hand, he brought out the Jump card. "Please, beseech the dragon with your power! Jump!" he chanted, tapping the card, and a pair of wings appeared on Yami's feet and he jumped out of the way of Zella next attack, perching on his hind legs upon a wall that sat behind a street way mirror.

"What should I do, Kero?" Yugi asked, looking to the other who flew over to them. "The sword's power is controlled based on the thoughts of the holder. If they were thinking "Don't cut", you can stun a person. But from what it looks like, her mind is into it so when you're hit, you're pretty much a goner." Kero explained and Yugi gulped but a whisker eased his worries.

/I will not let you be hurt, small one./ he said. Zella came towards them and made another slash, this time only cutting the mirror that blocked her from them. "But what should I do? I don't want to hurt her." Yugi said. /Then for now, we must run until you think of something./ Yami spoke before jumping just as Zella made another swing at them. As Yami landed not far from Zella, she made one last attack and before it could connect, another sword blocked its path and she stumbled back.

"Li!" Yugi called in surprised and he turned to look back at him.

"You're being too soft."

Yugi sneered angrily before realizing that Li was about to go against Zella herself and gasped. He tapped Yami's side quickly and told him what he didn't want Li to do and he nodded, loping towards Li and grabbed him by the back of his outfit before leaping up again, heading back towards Yugi's house. "Hey! What are you doing!" he growled, struggling in the grip of Yami's jaws before he was dropped non-too-gently on the ground. /Protecting Yugi's friend from you. He doesn't want her hurt./ he said.

Yugi climbed off Yami's back and heard Zella making her way towards them again. "What to do? What to do?" he questioned quietly to himself. /If you can make her lose concentration on the sword for a split second, you can get it out of her hands./ Yami stated and that gave Yugi an idea. He stepped forward just as Zella came to the path leading to the shop. Li huffed as he stood.

"That idiot. He's going to get himself killed." he muttered and he yelped as he was knocked down by Yami's tail.

/Shut up and watch. Maybe you'll learn something./

"That's a likely story." He gave another yelp of pain as he was hit again.

Yugi pulled out the Illusion card before tossing it. He twirled the staff about him before chanting the words. "Show the guise of the one she feels most strongly about! Illusion!" He tapped the card and the card started its magic. It fazed before Zella, appearing as the once she card for most. She stopped in her tracks as she gazed upon the image before speaking softly.

"Sensei..." she whispered.

While she was occupied, Yami jumped over and knocked the sword from her hands and she fell back, falling unconscious and he grabbed her. /Now! Get the card!/ he called as the Sword floated up into the air, ready to claim another under its power. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" Yugi called, creating the card image and the Sword was assimilated inside of the card before the image and name appeared on the card.

The card floated over to him and Yugi caught it, smiling. Li stood up again and Kero flew over to him, a smug grin on his face. "Ha! Yugi caught the Sword card all by himself! No help from you!" he said.

Li only pointed a finger toward Kero, poking him slightly. "So? The Sword is one of the easiest cards to capture out of the whole set." he said but he would've learned that with Kero disliking him already, he shouldn't point fingers, especially at him. Li cried out again as he bit on his finger and tried to shake him off but Kero kept a good grip on it. Sakura walked over to Yugi and smiled. "That was so cool! It looks dangerous but with help like this, it shouldn't be a problem collecting these cards." Sakura said before turning to Yami.

"And it's even more amazing to see you. An actual dragon." Yami smiled and leaned down to nuzzle her, making her laugh softly as she pat the side of his snout. /It is nice to meet you as well. What is your name?/ he asked. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura and I'm one of Yugi's childhood friends. Just move here not long ago." she introduced and he nodded.

/I'm Yami and I have met Yugi when he went to capture the Shadow card./ he explained and Sakura nodded. Soon, they heard footsteps coming their way and Yugi gasped. "Someone coming. Kero! You and Yami need to hide up in my room!" he whispered, glad that he was able to hear Yami's name finally so he could speak to him more properly than calling him 'the dragon' all the time.

Yami nodded and Kero finally released Li's finger but he was done as he head-butted him hard enough to knock him over again before he and Yami flew up to the skylight window and climbed into Yugi's room from there.

"You know, Yugi, we should be glad no one was out of this street when all of this happened or else we would be getting a lot of questions about why a dragon, a floating plush toy and a kid garbed in Chinese clothing was out here fighting with a mind controlled girl." Sakura stated and Yugi nodded before they saw who came around the corner and sighed in slight relief to see it was only Seth.

"Ohayou, Yugi. Did Jou stop by here? I have a CD I wanted to return to him but he wasn't home." Seth spoke before looking to Li and walked over, taking his hand where Kero let a bite mark. "Are you alright?" he asked softly and Li flushed brightly once again before standing and dashing off again. "I'll take that as a yes." Diamond said, snickering lightly before they all headed inside, Seth helping Zella back in and asking what happened and they made up a quick lie to cover up anything about the Sword card and Zella's mind control by said card.

* * *

The next day, Zella was in the library, quietly reading a book and when she heard her name being called, she looked up to see Yugi standing there. "Oh. Morning, Yugi. What bring you here?" she asked softly. He took the wrapped package he had in hand and held it out to her. She looked confused but too it anyway, staying silent for a moment before asking if she could open it.

Yugi nodded and she did so, gasping softly. "I can't take this. This is you're brooch, Yugi." she said. "I know but after you collapsed, your pin went missing somehow and I looked everywhere for it and yet couldn't find it." Yugi lied, knowing he couldn't tell her the real reason why she collapsed and why her pin was missing.

"I'm sorry for that. Although it's odd I don't remember a thing after putting that pin on." she said, looking back down to the dragon brooch. "But seriously, I can't take this. It's yours, Yugi." Yugi shook his head. "I really want you to have it." he said and she looked down to it again before looking to Yugi and smiled. "Thank you so much, Yugi." she spoke and he smiled back. "No problem."

The door to the library slid open again and Yugi looked up before greeting Terada-sensei as he walked over to them. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Motou-san." he said. Yugi bowed before him before leaving the library and Zella watched him go before looking back to the dragon brooch, feeling so happy that Yugi was willing to give up his brooch to her. 'I couldn't have a better friend. Thanks again, Yugi.' she thought.

* * *

Outside, Seth stood by a tree where Aqua lounged, Jou sitting at the trunk of the tree. "So, that brat was around Yugi's yesterday. Maybe I should've knocked some sense into him to make sure he keeps away." Aqua mumbled and Jou chuckled. "Is that how you plan to ward of anyone that tries to harm Yugi? If it is, I officially make you Yugi's bodyguard." Jou spoke and they both chuckled. Seth took a glance at his watch and looked around.

"Well, it's almost time. I wonder what Yugi's wants with me?" Jou shrugged. "Who knows? He said he was going to give me a good meal for relaying the message to you." Jou said, laughing softly. Said person was running to where they rested and while the group of three waited, a talisman seal landed on aqua's arm and burst into a small flame.

"Uh...Aqua? Your sleeve's on fire." Jou pointed out and he looked down before yelping and patted it out before turning and saw Li balancing on top of the fence with more talisman seals in hand. He growled and jumped down from the tree, Li doing the same and they both encounter each other, glaring at one another. Yugi finally saw them and ran over.

"Seth! I'm here!" he called before looking over to where Aqua and Li still stood, glaring. 'Not going to ask.' he thought before he looked up when Seth came to stand in front of him. "So, what do you need, Yugi?" he asked.

"Well, I wanted to thank you for helping me yesterday with Zella." Yugi said before holding out the bag to him. "So here's a little token of my appreciation." Li heard what he said and blushed angrily before stepping away from Aqua and patted his uniform for something. Aqua arched an eyebrow and so did Jou as they watched him before turning to Seth when he said he received some chocolate from Yugi. Li finally found a box of his own chocolate that he probably brought for lunch and bounded towards Seth and stood not far from him, holding out the box stiffly.

He turned to him before looking to the box. "Is that for me?" Li nodded stiffly and Seth smiled as he took the box before Li dashed off as usual. Seth turned to Jou and Aqua and offered some of his chocolate to them and Yugi watched with a kind smile before hearing his name being called and turned to see Diamond walking over to him.

"Hey, Yugi. Glad to have caught you in the moment." she said, smiling and Yugi blushed, realizing that she had her video recorder with her. "So, I'm guessing this makes up for missing the recording of the card capture last night, hmm?" he questioned and she nodded. "Yep."

She leaned in close to him. "And you know, it's either me or something else but I do believe that Li must have a crush on Seth to keep running like that." she whispered and Yugi had to agree. "But he may be in for a little competition since I think Jou is starting to feel something for Seth as well." Yugi whispered back. They both laughed softly before going over to the group and Seth shared some of his chocolate with them as well before they headed for their classes as the bell rung.

* * *

Zypher: There. End of this nice little chapter. Hoped you all enjoyed and I shall get the next one started soon. And don't forget, any costume ideas you have, send the in through your review or a PM. We have one for chapter 12 (the revealing of the Time card) courtesy of Red Dragon so pick out another and send in your ideas.

Need any help with a costume idea either from modifying the ones Sakura wears or making one of your own style with a little picture reference, the link is now in my profile for easy access to the site with all info on Cardcaptor Sakura for reference (don't own the site, of course. Belongs only to its owner). Now, I shall see you all later.


	10. Sport's Day of Flowers

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to another long awaited chapter. Sorry for the delay with this one, even with the fact I use episodes to guide me as I go. As you all know, the ebil rut and the ebil writer block aka annoyance panther won't go away, and still won't but I'm still trying to update on a regular basis and for the moment, I'm going to try to work my butt off with getting at least this, The Demon King Saga and Two Worlds updated.

Anywho, glad for all those that have reviewed the last chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one. And as a reminder, still need votes for changing Meiling with Vivian (still have three or four votes after last chapter) and need some ideas for Yugi's battle costumes, link to Kero-chan's corner where you can see them is now available in my profile. So far, I have one design for Yugi for the Time card episode, courtesy of Red Dragon.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 10

* * *

At Domino High, fireworks were ablaze as the yearly athletic festival at the school started. Students and parents alike participated in various sports events and most of the students didn't enjoy it much. All except for one Motou Yugi. Currently, he was participating in a race with a few others, a white hat over his head. He dashed past all the other participating and made it past the finish line, smiling brightly.

He walked over to Zella, who was holding a flag with the number one written on it and handed it to Yugi. "Yugi, you really run fast." she praised and he smiled. They heard clapping and Yugi turned to see Aqua and Seth standing off to the side, two towering boxes filled with lunch on either side of Aqua.

"You do run fast. You must've been training a lot." Seth spoke as Yugi ran over. "Yeah! I guess I have. Glad you two could make it." he said and Aqua smiled down to him. "But of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world." he spoke. "Oh, and before I forget, your dad called me. He said he'll be running and little late and your jii-chan gives his support for whatever you participate in since he won't be able to make it." Seth added.

"I know. They both have work to do but I'm happy that at least my dad will be coming." He took a glance at the boxes and then up to Seth. "Is that your lunch?" He nodded. "Man, it's huge but I guess a big lunch is what every growing boy needs." Yugi finished with a small laugh. Soon, the PA came on and Diamond's voice rung throughout the courtyard. "All members of the cheerleading squad please report at the front gate. I repeat, all members of the cheerleading squad please report of the front gate." she spoke.

From where she sat, two other students walked by, speaking about Yugi's race from not so long ago. She smiled as she heard this before looking up, seeing Yugi along with Aqua and Seth walking over to the table. "Ah, I was just hearing about you, Yugi. I'm guessing you won the last race?" she questioned and he nodded. "Quick on your feet as always." she said as she stood and moved away from the table. "So, Diamond, is your mom or dad going to come?" She nodded.

"Yeah. Mom's says she going to come once she's done with some business." she said before they decided that they should go ahead and go see the cheerleading competition. Another teacher walked over and talked quietly with Diamond as Yugi mused about the meeting of her and Ryou's mother for the first time. Since she was so busy, not ever Ryou or Diamond sees her often.

After Diamond was done speaking with the teacher, the four started on their way to the front gate to see the cheerleading squad, meeting up with Ryou along the way. They watched, amazed at the skill they cheerleaders put off as they did their routine, Seth getting some pictures to remember the day by. After it was done, another announcement came on about the last event for the morning which was an obstacle course for the 2nd year students. While the announcement was being made, some petals started to fall from the sky but no one didn't spot them as of yet.

Yugi and the others made their way to where the obstacle race was and Yugi got himself ready, adjusting his hat slightly as he stood at the starting line. "You do your best, Yugi!" Ryou called and he nodded as he got himself prepared for the race but noticed that Li was standing beside him in the next lane. He took a glance over to him and Li caught it before snorting derisively and Yugi huffed before turning away. 'I still hate that jerk' he thought. "On your mark..."

"Do your best!" Seth called and both Li and Yugi turned to see him waving to Yugi and Li smiled warmly before turning to Yugi. "I won't lose to you." he whispered and Yugi sneered. "Well, let's just see what happens then, Li." he said before Terada-sensei shot off the field gun, signaling the start of the race and the students participating started dashing off, coming up to the first obstacle.

Yugi and Li made it pass before anyone else and started on the next obstacle consisting of them rolling either a red or white, huge exercise sphere through part of the track. Again, Yugi and Li were neck in neck while one started to run off the track when they started loosing balance.

They crossed the support beams, another student loosing balance over that and then they crawled underneath a large net. What remaining students that were in the race got themselves caught and tangled somewhere within the confines of the net and that left only Li and Yugi to finish the race with a final dash to the finish.

They were still neck in neck, both determined not to lose. "You can do it!" Seth called again, smiling brightly, and Li turned to see him still waving towards them and his face flushed red. Due to it, he stumbled just before the finish line, giving Yugi the win. Diamond smiled as she recorded the entire race before she and the others went to meet with Yugi.

He panted slightly but he was smiling all the while. He turned his gaze over to Diamond and Ryou. "So, any sign of your kaa-san yet?" he asked. "Nope, not yet." Ryou said and he nodded. "Then why don't you two join us for lunch. We did pack a lot so there should be extra helpings." Aqua spoke. Ryou smiled and nodded, thanking him.

"Well, we'll go get set up then. If any of your other friend show up, you can invite them to." added Seth before he and Aqua left to find a spot where they could eat. Li walked by and Yugi turned to him. He felt a little tug at his heart and sighed.

"Hey Li?" he called softly and he turned to him. "I can't believe I'm asking you off all people but would you like to join us for some lunch?" Yugi asked. Li snuffed as he turned away. "Why would I want to have lunch with the likes of you...?" he said before they heard Seth calling to them, saying that everything was ready and his face flushed red again but the group of three didn't see it.

"Alright! We're on our way!" Yugi called, waving to him before they started walking off but Yugi felt a tug on his shirt and turned to face the flushed Li. "I'll join you for lunch." he whispered and Yugi nodded as the two went on their way.

Once they reached the spot where Aqua and Seth set up, greeting Sakura who happened to have came by while they were setting up, they sat down and Aqua started setting out the food for them, bringing out the thermos filled with some green tea. "My, did you to really fix all this?" Sakura questioned and Aqua only grinned.

"Other that Seth's appetite, I worry about the chances of having Jou come and find us. Have them both around and there probably won't be any left." Aqua said and Yugi chuckled softly as he took a plate that had a helping of the omelet that Aqua and Seth cook and took a bite.

"Wow, this is great. You both are great cooks." Aqua smiled.

"Glad I still have it." he said as he poured himself a cup of tea while Seth was munching away beside him. Yugi handed a plate over to Sakura and she took it, thanking him and was about to eat when a stray petal landed softly on top of her omelet. "Now where did this come from?" she whispered, picking the petal up and looked around. Seth was still munching away, much to the surprise of Li and soon, Sakura. Aqua chuckled as he looked to him as well. "Having fun there, Seth?" he questioned cheerfully.

Seth looked up and started noticing he was the only one eating. "Oops. Guess I'm the only one eating." he said shyly, smiling. "Aw, don't worry about that." said Aqua as he took another sip of his drink. "Eating a lot are signs of a strong, healthy person."

"Still..." He stopped before he could speak more, looking to Li who stood up. "He's right. Eating a lot does mean you're healthy and you should keep on doing so to stay that way." he said. Seth looked to him and nodded. "That's right." he whispered and Li looked to him, getting another flush over his face before turning away.

"T-thanks for the meal. I-I need to go." he said quickly as he slipped on his shoes and ran off. They watched him for a moment until he was out of sight. "I better be going too. See you later, Yugi-kun!" Sakura said as she let as well. Soon, another figure came running towards them and Yugi looked up before smiling.

"Hi, otou-san! Glad you finally made it!" Yugi exclaimed as he stood to greet his father. He smiled down to his young son, patting his head lightly. "Sorry I was so late, though. I hoped to make it in time to see some of your races." he said.

"It's alright, Motou-san. Ryou and I recorded some of the races he was in and Seth-san took some pictures." Diamond said and he thanked her. He placed the cooler down onto the blanket and opened it, revealing six pudding cups, three decorated with peach slices and the other three with raspberries. "I made these last night. I asked the college if I could borrow a cooler so I could bring them here." he said as he handed them out.

"Thank you, Motou-san." Aqua said as he took a bite. "Wow, this is really good." Ryou said and Yugi nodded in agreement. They peacefully at the homemade dessert before Aqua, Seth and Fujitaka got up to toss the trash away.

"I can't wait to get home. Kero and maybe Yami, if he visits tonight, will love this." Yugi said and Diamond nodded. "Ryou-kun. Diamond-kun." A voice called and they turned to see an elegant, white haired woman standing before them with four other women behind her dressed in black suits and wearing black glasses. "Kaa-san!" Diamond said happy as she stood along with Ryou. Ryou turned to Yugi, smiling softly. "Yugi, this is our mother." he introduced.

_'Wow, she's so beautiful.'_ Yugi thought as he bowed. The woman's eyes widened as she looked over Yugi before smiling softly. "Well hello there, Yugi-chan. I'm Sonomi Tindum. I'm so happy to know they have such a good friend." she said.

"Oh, that's not true at all. They're always coming to help me when I need it." Yugi replied. Sonomi kneeled down to his level, looking him over once more. "You are so cute." Then she frowned slightly. "You remind me of someone I once knew." she whispered. She stood up fully once again and another smile spread over her face.

"I heard so much about you, Yugi, but I never did get your last name from Ryou or Diamond. Care to tell me what it is?" she asked sweetly. "Oh, it Mou-" he stood when he heard his dad calling and turned. "Otou-san!" he called back, waving as the older man reached them and Sonomi had a fit.

"Motou-san!" she screeched.

"Oh, Sonomi..." he whispered as he looked to the other woman. Sonomi pulled him away, much to the confusion of Yugi, Ryou and Diamond, and once they were in a secluded spot, she glared hotly at him. He gulped a bit before speaking. "Well, at first glance, I didn't really recognize you, with your last name being different and all. I remember you last as Sonomi Amamiya back when you were a student."

Sonomi gave a small groan. "I should've known that it would be the son of you. I remember that Nadeshiko said she always wanted to name her son Yugi if she had a baby boy." Sonomi spoke. Fujitaka only smiled and Sonomi continued to glare at him. "I will never forgive you! Remember that." she hissed.

"I know. Nadeshiko was only a high school girl then and I was only a starting teacher..."

"Yes! A fledgling teacher and you had the gall to marry one of your students! And it just so happens to be my darling Nadeshiko!" Sonomi cried. He only waved a hand as if to calm her down, even if she wasn't facing him at the moment.

"I had always watched her ever since we were in kindergarten to keep those nasty bugs from attaching themselves to her. But you," She pointed a threatening finger at him. "To have such a dumb bug such as you attached to her! You let her die only at the age of 27! How dare you feel so lighthearted after her unfortunate death?" she demanded.

He gave a soft sigh before speaking. "I promised her I wouldn't cry." he replied. Sonomi 'tch'ed to herself, feeling slightly sorry for the other before bringing back up the angry facade. "In any case, I still won't forgive you! Ever!"

From afar, Aqua, Seth, Ryou, Yugi and Diamond watched as Fujitaka and Sonomi spoke. "Well, I didn't know my otou-san knew your kaa-san, Ryou."

"I wasn't expecting that either." Ryou replied.

"Those running in the parents' 100 meter dash please report to the front gate. Repeat, those running in the parents' 100 meter dash, please report to the front gate." the PA sounded. Fujitaka ran back over to the group and Yugi asked eagerly if he was going to run in the race. "Yes, I will be. Sonomi told me I should enter the race." Yugi nodded and started leading his father to the track field. Ryou and Diamond followed behind them and Aqua looked to Seth.

"Do you happen to know what's going on between Yugi's father and Sonomi or should I not bother asking?" he questioned.

"I heard this story from Jou once when he asked about Nadeshiko one day when he was at Yugi's. He said that Sonomi was once called Sonomi Amamiya...the maiden name of Yugi's mother. Nadeshiko and Sonomi are cousins and she happened to be the only daughter of a very famous conglomerate. Yugi's father was only a starting teacher. Nadeshiko knew she would face many hardships because of this relationship but she married Yugi's father when she was only 16."

"So young?" Aqua quipped and Seth nodded. "Yeah. The age of 16. I was just as surprised as you when I heard that." Seth replied before continuing the story. "Anyway, she did modeling while she went to school. But soon, she became ill but he told me it was because of the modeling she did. Jou told me that there seemed to be some problems that went on back at her family's home. Sonomi always watched over her when they were little but she was highly against the marriage more than anyone else in the family."

"That's terrible." Seth nodded in agreement. More petals fell to the ground but neither noticed them. "But in the pictures that I see when I go over with Jou, she looks so happy." Aqua pointed out. "Even the ones that weren't used in the magazine that Yugi's grandfather showed to me once." Soon, the petals started falling more frequently, catching their attention. "Where could these be coming from?" Seth whispered softly as he held out a hand to capture one. Aqua looked around as well, knowing it was the work of a Clow card and hoped that Yugi will find it before Li could.

* * *

"I'm still surprised that kaa-san knew your dad, Yugi." Diamond said as she sat at the PA table, Yugi standing beside her along with Ryou. "Yeah, I'm just as surprised." he said before looking to the group of parents and was surprised to see one he wasn't expecting. "Hey, isn't that..." he started and Ryou looked up as well.

"It's kaa-san! What's she doing in the race?" he questioned in surprise. "I wouldn't know. Is she a fats runner?" Yugi asked.

Diamond placed a hand to her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, she made it to the national championships when she was in high school." Yugi's eyes widened in amazement as he looked to Sonomi.

"Sugoi. I wish I could make it to something like that." Ryou smiled and patted his shoulder. "If you keep it up, someone might suggest you and you may just get the chance." Yugi nodded. Petals continued to rain down as Terada-sensei gave of the signal and the first lone of parents started the race, Sonomi bounding ahead of everyone with ease. She was determined not to lose but she wasn't expecting for Fujitaka to race past her. "Wow, he is amazing. No wonder you're so good at sports. Especially running track." Diamond said.

The race continued on but the petals that were making a light drizzle started to fall with more force, catching everyone's attention and making them wonder where the flowers were actually coming from. Yugi looked around as well. "Could this be the work of a Clow card?" he mused as Ryou stood beside him. "It could be." Inside, Li looked out the window and knew a Clow card was at work and was about to leave but someone grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" Marik questioned.

"Where?" He removed his arm from the other's grip and pointed outside. "Can't you see were having a big problem here?" Marik looked outside before turning back to him. "Yeah, that is a problem. And in this case, we're the only ones who can calm down the people at this time. We're in charge of the medical team for the afternoon." Marik said. Li groaned and was about to run off when Marik grabbed hold of the back of his shirt, preventing him from leaving. Marik grinned.

"I may not look it, but I'm stronger than you think. You know the rules. We have to stay just in case someone gets hurt." Li growled and struggled, trying to free himself. "Let me go! I have to get the Clow card!" he hissed but he wasn't going anywhere.

Back outside, the courtyard was knee deep covered in flower petals and was still raining them. "S-She still going?" Yugi asked with a little shock. "Kaa-san hates to lose I'm guess." Diamond said, equally shocked. The height of the flower petals accumulating the courtyard continued to rise, soon causing Sonomi to literally swim her way through in hopes to catch up with Fujitaka before he reached the finished line.

At said place, Zella and Malik were trying to keep themselves from being buried in the petals. "I'm going to drown in flower petals. Not the best way I want to die if that actually happens." Malik said. Yugi knew this was soon going to get out of hand and reached into his shirt, removing the Key from it hidden confines.

Ryou looked to him and questioned about using his magic out in the open. "No one's watching so I should be alright." he replied before whispering the chant and the Key grew out into the Sealing Staff. Yugi looked up, spotting something long and dark soaring through the skies and knew it was Yami since he probably saw the disturbance from afar. He pulled out the Fly card and quickly released its magic, the wings growing out on the staff before flying up towards where Yami was waiting for him with Ryou while Diamond flew upon her own wings.

They looked down to see the damage done by the petals and saw it was starting to cover up the area more and more as seconds ticked away. Yugi looked to Yami and he nodded, confirming his thoughts. "So it is a Clow card. Now we just need to find it." Yugi said, knowing Yami couldn't help since his eyes were glazed over, indicating his blindness until nightfall.

/Since the petals are raining over your school, that means its somewhere nearby and high up./ Yami said and Yugi nodded. Back down on the track, Sonomi was still trying to reach Fujitaka who was still ahead of her. "I won't lose! I never ever lose!" she growled, swimming through the petals as fast as possible to reach the other adult.

"I can't take it! It's getting too high!" Malik shouted as he and Zella struggled to still hold the line for the finish up but the petals were up to their necks and it might not be long before it was over their heads. Aqua and Seth ran over to them and took the line from them. "We got this. You two get to higher ground." Aqua said and they nodded as they did as they were told while Aqua and Seth waited for either Fujitaka or Sonomi to finish the race. Aqua took a glance over to where Yugi, Ryou, Diamond and Aqua were and hoped they will find the card soon before things get worse.

Diamond soon spotted a glowing pink orb on the school rooftop and pointed over in that direction. "Over there." she said and Yugi looked over as well. "I guess that's our target." Yugi said as they flew over, Diamond leading Yami before they landed on the roof. Yugi and Ryou hopped of the staff and the wings shrunk back to their original size. "So, that's the card." he whispered.

The card in question was a young, pale woman in a bright pink dressed that looked like a blooming flower, She twirled and danced around without a care in the world, spreading petals all around which was raining down onto the courtyard below. /You shouldn't waste anymore time, small one. Soon the place will be covered in petals if you done seal her away./ Yami spoke.

Yugi nodded and stepped forward, catching the Flower card's attention. She smiled brightly, prancing forward and grabbing Yugi gently. She caressed a cheek softly before twirling him around with her. "Eep! I'm not a really good dancer!" Yugi squeaked. "Well, I think we got ourselves into a bigger mess." Diamond said with a small laugh. "Yugi, you need to seal her away!" Yugi nodded and planted his feet to the ground, causing the card to stop as well and looked down to him. "Sorry but it has to be done." Yugi whispered before giving the card a small hug before backing away and raising the staff.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!"

The visage of the card appeared and soon, the Flower was assimilated into the card, her image and name appearing on it once the deed was completed. Yugi grabbed the card as it floated to him and turned to the others, smiling. Then a thought popped into mind. "Hey, Yami. You're blind so how did you know about the petals if you didn't see them?" he questioned.

He chuckled softly before speaking. /We dragons do have a good sense of smell. Once I caught the fragrance of flowers which was kinda uncommon due to the weather, I knew it had to be the Flower card./

Yugi slapped his forehead playfully. "Of course, I should've guessed that." he said and they all got a laugh from that. "But what I want to know is why she appeared here of all places?"

/Well, from the sounds of it, you were having some sort of festival and the Flower card loves to come to festivals and celebrations. She must've been trying to cheer all of you up by raining a few flowers onto the field./

"Well, I think she was a little eccentric with that." replied Diamond and Yugi nodded. Back on the track, Fujitaka made it past the finish line and Aqua congratulated him, giving him the first place flag that he was handed by one of the teachers. Fujitaka turned his gaze over to the panting and very angry Sonomi and grinned sheepishly. Later on, everyone was helping out with cleaning up the petals. Around a corner of the school, Fujitaka and Sonomi were talking once more.

"I'm so...SO frustrated right now!" she spat, looking to Fujitaka. "It's just like in high school! I didn't want to give up my darling Nadeshiko to a teacher so I kept challenging him over and over again but every time I lose!"

He sighed softly. "Well, it would be plain rude of me if I was to lose on purpose, Sonomi-san." Fujitaka replied. "I know you deeply cared for her and so did I. That's why I know you tried your hardest to win."

From behind some bushes, Ryou, Yugi and Diamond watched, Yami going over to Yugi's to wait for him. Sonomi huffed. "I still remember what kind of home you subjected Nadeshiko to! Living all by yourself in a tiny apartment..." Soon, she went into a small rant about everything that Nadeshiko and Fujitaka did when she was still alive.

Diamond got an idea, seeing as it looked like the two were arguing, and whispered her idea to Yugi. He nodded and took out his newly acquired card. Grant those two over there some flower. Flower!" he whispered, tapping the card.

Sonomi still glared at Fujitaka but looked up as two flowers floated down and both caught them. "It's...it's a nadeshiko flower..." she whispered. They spoke for a while longer and the three teens left them alone. "Well, that would explain why kaa-san wished for me to grow my hair out." Diamond said, fingering one of the silver strands lightly. "She spoke so much to us about Nadeshiko and I guess after what happened really took a blow on her."

"Yeah. A lot of things supposedly happen with otou-san and the people around him but hopefully he will tell us one day." Diamond and Ryou nodded. "Yugi! They're about to do the closing ceremonies!" Aqua called when he spotted them and he nodded. "Well, we better get going." They nodded and they ran off to where Aqua waited before they left to where they were holding the ceremonies.

* * *

Zypher: And that shall be all for this chapter. If I can, I will attempt to get the next chapter for The Demon King Saga up. So look out for it. Thanks for reading and I'll see you later.


	11. A Day at Ryou and Diamond's Home

Zypher: Welcome all to another chapter to Chains of the Seal. I thank all those that have read and reviewed the last chapter so here's another one for you. And remember, ideas for costumes are still needed. We have one for the Time Card episode. If you wish to come up with your own costume idea for Yugi, you can come up with one for The Storm and The Float card episode, The Fight card episode, The Song card episode, The Little card episode, The Dash card episode (which has two for each attempt that Sakura tried to catch the Dash card), The Big and The Create card episode, The Firey episode (she has a little Christmas outfit for this episode so if you want to do an outfit for this one, make it a Christmas outfit for Yugi), and The Snow card episode.

There are also two movies that were made in between episodes that I will also be adding in like substories and each one has a costume. For the first one, its two again, first it a star costume for the capture of The Arrow card and the second is the Sakura blossom outfit when she went up against the enemy in the movie. The second is an outfit for a play since in that one, Sakura and her class held a play (haven't watched it yet but I'm planning to soon to see what happens in that one). If you need to see how any of these costumes look, the link for the site is in my profile. Now that all those have been named, send in your ideas and I'll get started on the chapter. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 11

* * *

It was a nice Sunday afternoon and Yugi was on the bus, on his way to Ryou and Diamond's. Yesterday in school, Diamond asked for his help with something that neither could solve on their own nor knew that Yugi may be the best person to ask. So here he was, on his way there with his bag resting in his lap. It moved slightly before Kero popped out, breathing heavily.

"Yugi-kun! I can't breath in there!" he hissed and Yugi eeped before closing the bag hastily, looking up to see some people turning back to see who spoke. He laughed softly, telling them that nothing was wrong and they turned back towards the front of the bus. He gave a small sigh before looking down to the bag. "You know you shouldn't be doing that, Kero." he whispered and Kero poked his head out once more.

"Well, it's not my fault there's no air in here. How long will it be?"

"Just a little longer. We will be getting off on the next stop, alright?" Kero nodded. Once the bus reached the stop, Yugi closed the bag before departing the bus. He took out a slip of paper and looked at it as he started to walk down the road. He took a glance at his surroundings before looking at the paper again. "That's odd. It says their house would be around here." he murmured as he looked around again. Kero poked his head out and looked to Yugi.

"What, you can't find it?" He slipped out from the bag and sat upon Yugi's shoulder, looking at the paper. "Well, it says their house is right near the bus station." Yugi spoke before Kero flew up into the air to do a small search of the surroundings.

"Hey, get back here before someone sees you!"

"Don't worry, Yugi-kun. No one's around." Kero said before looking around. He gaped in awe when he caught sight of something. "I think I found their place." Yugi looked up to him before looking around. "Where?" Kero flew down and grabbed the back of his jacket with his teeth, flying up and taking Yugi with him. "Hey! What are you doing!" Yugi exclaimed as Kero had im face where he was looking previously.

"Look." Yugi looked up and had the same reaction as Kero. "Holy cow! All this is their house!"

"I'm guessing so." responded Kero as he let Yugi back down to the ground and they continued on their way over tot he gate and Yugi let Kero return to the bag before pressing the button to the intercom.

"Yes, who is this?" A voice spoke from the other end.

"It's Motou-san." he replied.

"Ah, Motou-san, Tindum-sama was waiting for you. I shall open the gates for you." The voice replied before the intercom turned off and after a few seconds, the large gates started to open, allowing Yugi entrance into the large estate. He made his way through the large pathway leading up to the house, looking around at the various garden decorations that were on the lawn. When he reached the door, Diamond opened it and smiled.

"Glad you could make it, Yugi." Yugi smiled, Kero peeking his head from the bag. "No problem. I'm always around to help." she nodded and smiled down to Kero, greeting him before leading Yugi into the house. A maid came up to them and asked where Diamond wanted to the tea to be sent.

"Four cups to my room, please." she said.

"Four?" she questioned, slightly confused.

"Yes, four." she repeated before leading Yugi towards her room where Ryou was waiting. The maid thought thoroughly about what she asked before deciding to just go ahead and bring the tea to them.

* * *

"Wow, you have a big room." Yugi said when they were inside. "Indeed I do." Diamond replied, smiling as she walked over to a covered doorway. Kero flew out from Yugi's bag as Yugi followed Diamond. "Is this part of you room as well?" he asked and she nodded, picking up a remote and pressing a button that let the door slid away, leading into a dark room. "So, what is this room for?"

Diamond pressed another button and soon, a video from when Yugi was capturing the Thunder card appeared on screen and Yugi laughed softly. "Ah, your viewing room. Should've known you would have one somewhere." he spoke and Diamond chuckled softly. Kero moved over to rest upon Yugi's head and watched the scene as well. "Man, I really do look cool here." he spoke and Diamond nodded before turning off the screen and they went back into the main room.

They walked over to where Ryou was sitting, looking at the design for another one of Yugi's battle outfits. "Hi, Ryou." Yugi said and he turned to them, smiling. "Hello, Yugi. Enjoying everything so far?" Yugi nodded and he smiled before he went back to the outfit.

"Another outfit for me?" Yugi asked and Ryou nodded, holding it up. It consisted of a pale white vest with dark, ice blue trimming at the edges and a pair of ice blue, fairy wings right there near where the shoulder plates were. Along with the set was a pair of pants that looked to reach down to the ankles. On the floor beside him was a matching pair of formal look boots. "Looks nice." Yugi praised and Ryou nodded. "I thought so too when Diamond was designing it. She made it and I'm just making some touch ups to it."

Diamond nodded before patting Yugi's head. "I'm always happy that you wear the stuff I make for you. Makes me even happier that I get such rare scenes while you're wearing them. It's not everyday your best friend is out saving the world from powerful monsters sealed within cards." Diamond said and Yugi flushed slightly from embarrassment. "Oh, by the way. What was that problem you told me about?" Yugi questioned.

"Actually..." Ryou started, placing the vest down but before he could continue, there was a knock at the door which frightened Kero a little and he dashed to hide away in the cloth resting within Diamond's sewing box. "Come in." Diamond called and the door opened to revealed Sonomi standing there, panting slightly so all expected that she ran up to the room.

She walked over and both Ryou and Diamond greeted her. Yugi bowed and said his hello as well. Sonomi kneeled down to him, smiling. "Welcome to our home, Yugi-kun." she said and Yugi thanked her.

"Hope I'm not intruding." he spoke and she shook her head. "Never. When I heard you were dropping by today, I rushed home from the office." she spoke before standing. "Why don't we have the tea out in the garden. I brought home some cake that we can share." They nodded before Yugi remember Kero and with her mentioning cake and the fact they were eating outside, he would be sore about missing out. Said guardian beast poked his head out, eyeing them at the mentioning of cake.

_'Sorry Kero.'_ Yugi thought as they were leading from the room, Sonomi directing the made holding the tray of tea to set up out in the garden. When they were gone, Kero burst out from the box, whining about the cake he was missing out on. But he stopped mid whine when he sensed something. He looked about the room silently, trying to find the source of the presence he felt.

"This presence..." he whispered, still looking around.

* * *

Out on the garden, Yugi, Ryou, and Diamond sat at the table while Sonomi was cutting the cake for them. "This shop's cakes are the most delicious." she spoke as she scooped a slice onto Yugi's plate and placed it in front of him. "You love cakes, don't you?" He nodded. "Yes, I do. A lot in fact." Yugi replied and Sonomi smiled warmly. "Ah yes, I will always remember. You mother always loved sweets. She always said she ha d a different place for all the sweet she ate. She could even eat a cake this size all by herself."

"Yeah. My dad said that too. He always told me no matter how much sweets she ate, she would never get fat." At the mentioning of Fujitaka, that image appeared in Sonomi's mind bubble that originally had a picture of Nadeshiko and she had an angry glare a she swiped away the imaginary bubble of Fujitaka's image.

She sliced another piece for Ryou and Diamond before taking one of her own and smiled to them. "Enjoy." They nodded and Yugi took the first bite before smiling brightly. Sonomi watched him before asking how the cake was. "It's delicious! I never had a cake this good. Next to Ryou and Diamond's sweets of course." The two mentioned laughed softly as they continued to eat.

* * *

Back at the house, Sugoroku was washing the family car when Seth walked up to the shop and smiled. "Hello, Motou-san." He looked up and smiled to the older. "Ah, hello there, Seth. What brings out by?" he questioned. "Well, I heard that you and Fujitaka-sama were cleaning up from Jou and decided to drop by to bring over some snacks. Also, Jou said he'll drop by to help out." Seth replied and Sugoroku nodded. "That would be wonderful." Fujitaka walked out, holding a trash bag and greeted Seth before inviting him for some tea outside.

"So, where's Yugi?" Seth asked.

"He's over at a friend's house." Sugoroku said.

"Ryou and Diamond's, I presume." Sugoroku nodded. "So, that means he's with the mother that Aqua and I met at the sports festival..." Seth remembered.

* * *

Yugi took the last bite of his cake, Sonomi watching him as he ate. "You know, you remind me of Nadeshiko so much, Yugi-kun." Sonomi spoke quietly. "Y-You really think so?" Yugi asked.

"Yes." Sonomi whispered, going through flashbacks of the moment she shared with Nadeshiko, up until the one where Nadeshiko was mentioning marrying Mr. Motou and a stress mark appeared on her forehead, angry glare set and Yugi flinched at the intensity of it. Ryou looked to his mother and asked if something was wrong.

"Oh nothing. Just remember a scene I wasn't too happy about." she replied. She took a sip of her tea before looking to Yugi once more. "You don't mind me calling you Yugi-kun, do you."

"Oh, not at all." he replied, taking a sip from his cup. "So, Yugi-kun, I hear you run for track, right?" He nodded. "So, you are a very athletic boy, I'm sure."

"Oh, not that much." he said, waving a hand. She chuckled softly. "That's where you and your mother are different. Nadeshiko was not all that athletic like you are. She was a bit, detached from the word agility, you could say." Sonomi spoke, remember about each and every accident Nadeshiko gotten herself in from falling in the middle of the sidewalk to falling from a tree after helping getting a baby bird back into its nest. The last one, of course, was how she met Fujitaka because of that slip, she fell on top of him. With a simple love phrase had her enamored by the fledgling teacher and Sonomi stood up in anger.

"That's right! That moment was how they met!" she snapped. "What was that about an angel! Oooh that makes me sick to my stomach. Nadeshiko was cute as an angel, I can say that but...!" She stopped in her rant and gave a cough as she sat back down. "Excuse me for that." she said and Yugi nodded, a little freaked by her reaction. Ryou and Diamond just treated as a normal, everyday thing.

"So, you knew my dad, right?" Yugi asked.

"I do."

"So, what kind of person was he? He always tells me so much about kaa-san but he never speaks anything about himself. I'm told that he doesn't have any other relative living except for jii-chan and I don't know any of kaa-san's relatives." Yugi said, starting to look shy in front of the older woman as he asked. Sonomi listened silently before taking another sip of her tea before speaking.

"Your father is...a disgusting person." she replied. "He's handsome, kind, a great chef and can do anything and everything but from the perspective of someone who loved Nadeshiko dearly, he's a tremendously disgusting person." She placed a finger to her chin in thought. "As for his flaws...well...he doesn't really have any." She sent a wink towards Yugi. "But don't tell him I said that." Yugi smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry, I won't."

* * *

At the house, Fujitaka sneezed and Seth looked to him. "Do you have a cold, Motou-san?" He shook his head.

"No. I wonder if someone is talking about me, though?" he spoke before chuckling softly.

* * *

Back with Yugi, Ryou, Diamond and Sonomi, they were laughing at some of the stories Sonomi were telling them. "And then he suddenly..." she stopped when a maid came up to her, informing that there was a call for her from the office secretary at her company. She stood and took the phone, nodding before frowning. She pulled the phone away and smiled down to Yugi. "I'm sorry about this but it may take a while." she said and Diamond nodded.

"No problem, kaa-san. We'll be up in my room." Ryou took the last slice of cake and put it on a plate before Diamond took hold of Yugi's hand and they started back for the house. Sonomi waved enthusiastically, inviting Yugi for dinner later on that day.

"We have to! It's a promise!" she called. "Okay! We will!" eh replied before they entered in the house.

"You mother is a wonderful woman, Ryou." Yugi said as the ascended the staircase to the second floor. "Thanks for saying that. She would love to hear such a wonderful compliment from you." spoke Diamond as they reached the door to her room and opened it. At the sound of the door, Kero came from his hiding spot and flew up into Yugi's face. "How could you leave me out of the loop? Having cake without me!" he whined. "You looked so happy eating that cake. I was watching the whole entire time from the window." he sulked.

"Uh...I'm so sorry, Kero." Yugi muttered, still freaked from Kero's quick reappearance. "Don't worry, Kero. We have your share right here." Ryou said, holding the plate to the guardian and he was out of his sulking mood in the blink of an eye, balancing the plate on his head happily.

The two laughed softly as Diamond mentioned something about grudges dealing with food to be nasty if they're not solved quickly. Kero took a bite of the cake and smiled as he let the taste melt on his tongue. "And to think, I sensed a Clow card in here while I was all by myself." Kero spoke.

"Clow card?" Yugi questioned and Diamond smiled. "Nothing less from you, Kero." she said and Yugi looked to her with question as she walked over to a corner of the room, picking up something before returning to the table, placing a box with a gold lock on the table's surface. "As I was going to tell you, there was something troubling me and it was the lock on this box. The box won't open anymore." she said. "Really, did you or Ryou happen to lose the key?"

"Nope. We have the key right here." Ryou said, holding up a small, bronze key. "So, you have a key but it doesn't open? That's odd." Ryou nodded. Soon, Kero flew up to them. "I sense a Clow Card." he spoke and they turned to him.

"Really? Where?" Yugi asked.

"It's coming from the box but it's very faint." Yugi looked to the box closely, trying to sense the card himself and as he was watching it, he saw a brief figment of the card. "I saw it!" Yugi exclaimed. "I see. Now, let me try something." Ryou tried to put the key into the lock but it bounced off an invisible barrier and was flung across the room, surprising everyone. "That's the exact same thing that happened to kaa-san. She wanted to open the box every once in a while and the result turned out just like that."

"After that little display, it's definitely the doings of a Clow card." Kero quipped. "That's why I asked you to come, Yugi. I had a feeling that was the case when it happened the first time. This box holds something dear to our mother and us as well. They may not be gone but with the box not opening, it feels as if we lost them." Diamond whispered. Yugi watched her, feeling sad about it before nodding. "I won't let that go on any longer! I'll see what I can do." he said and she smiled to him. "Thanks, Yugi."

Yugi brought out the Sealing Staff and both he and Kero scrutinize the box, trying to see if there was anything that was keeping the box from being opened. "A Clow card that keeps a box from being opened? Honestly, no matter how I look at it, I don't see anything." Yugi said. He then raised the staff, tapping the box and hit a barrier causing both he and Kero to become more alert. "Yugi!" Kero called and he nodded, tapping the box again, resulting in the same thing and Kero finally noticed what card it was.

"It's the Shield card!" he spoke. "Did you see how a barrier formed around it each time Yugi hit it?"

Diamond shook her head. "No, I didn't see that."

"Those with magical powers could see it." Ryou nodded and looked back to the box. "Then why is it surrounding the box?" he questioned.

"Maybe it knew that Ryou and Diamond were my friends...?"

"No, no. He has a good personality. He would never do something so cruel like that." Kero replied. "The Shield has a knack for protecting precious things. So if it's valuable, it would go and protect it with a shield, hence the name. So whatever is in that box must be precious to its owners which is why its here now and placing a barrier over the box." Kero explained. "So, then, how do I change it back into a card?" Yugi asked.

"Well, you have a sword that can cut through anything, right?" Kero pointed out.

"Oh! I can cut Shield with Sword!" Kero nodded. "Yep. When Shield gets cut, it will show it true self." Yugi nodded and stood up, pulling the card from his pocket.

"The card created by Clow, lend you powers to my Key! Transfer the magic dwelling within you to the Key and grant me your power! Sword!" he chanted, tapping the card and soon, magic surrounded the Sealing Staff, changing it into an elegant sword. From the side, Diamond recorded the scene, hoping that what Kero said is true.

Yugi sent a slash towards the box, the Shield's barrier coming up to protect it but was sliced through easily. When the cut was made, the magic from the barrier rose up and formed into the figure of the Shield. "Now, Yugi!" Kero called and he nodded and he gave a flick of the wrist, transforming the sword back into the staff.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!"

He tapped the air before him, creating the apparition of the card and the Shield was soon absorbed inside, name and picture appearing upon the renewed card before flying into Yugi's hand. "Great job, Yugi." Kero praised. "Yeah. You look so dignified as always." Ryou added.

"Oh shoot!" Diamond murmured as she ran off. "What's wrong?" Yugi asked. "I should've let you wore your outfit before we done all this." she spoke and Yugi grinned sheepishly. "Oh well, there's always next time." he spoke. "Yeah."

Ryou picked up the key from where it fallen previously before the realization of the card and walked back over to the box. He placed the key within the lock, seeing as nothing happened, and turned it. They heard the click of the lock and smiled. "It opened!" He cheered and Kero smirked. "Well, since I was with him, we knew what the obvious result was." Kero gloated. "Oh hush you." Yugi told him before looking back to Ryou. "So, can I take a look what's inside?" Yugi asked.

"Sure."

He opened the box and Yugi was in awe at what rests within it before they heard a knock at the door. "Drats!" Kero hissed as he scrambled off to go hide before Diamond gave entrance to whoever was coming in. Sonomi peeped in and smiled. "Sorry about earlier." she spoke before seeing that the box was open. "You got it open. But how?" Yugi eeped and turned away from them as Ryou explained that a spring was stuck in the keyhole.

"Ah, so that why the key kept popping back out every time I tried." Sonomi reached in and picked up the bouquet of flowers that rests in the box, smiling softly. Yugi turned back around and looked tot he bouquet. "It is a beautiful bouquet." he whispered.

"Yes. It's the same bouquet your mother had when she got married." Sonomi sighed wistfully. "She always loved cherry blossoms." Yugi listened quietly before smiling, letting her reminisce in peace. "I know! I'll make dinner tonight!" Sonomi spoke suddenly. "Whatever you like, just tell em and I'll make it, Yugi-kun!" she continued, placing the blossoms back into the box.

"Okay!" Yugi said as the older took his hand and led him down into the dining room. "Ryou! Diamond! You two come help too!" she called. "Alright! Be there in a sec!" Diamond replied before looking down to Ryou who pulled something else from the box. Kero popped from his hiding place, grumbling about him doing nothing but hiding all day before taking a glance to the tiny bag in Ryou's hands. "So, is that your and Diamond's precious item?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"An eraser."

"An eraser? Why is that precious to you two?" he asked again.

"Because, this was a gift given to us when we first met. After that day, we became good friends and we kept this like a token of the start of our friendship before we met Jou and the others." Kero nodded and Ryou placed the bag back into the box, closing the lid and locking it. "Ryou! Diamond!" Sonomi called from downstairs.

"Coming!" Ryou called back. "Hey, don't forget to cook me something too!" Kero said. "We will. You just keep watch over my room." Diamond replied. He nodded and they both left as Kero shouted for them to make lot of yummy food for him and they laughed as they walked downstairs.

* * *

Zypher: -sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, head down solemnly-

Yugi: Well, I hoped you all have enjoyed this chapter. This may be the last for a while. Zypher just got a call about her cat who's very sick right now. The doctors are doing everything possible but they say she's getting worse and that's making her very sad right now. She really doesn't want to lose her cat and to her, it seems there is little hope since already, she has labored breathing and is unable to walk. For all those that read this, please, pray for Crystal's wellbeing and pray for her survival. All us muses hope she doesn't die either so please, hope the same.

She is very close to all of us. And also, if you still want to send in ideas for costume, do hesitate to do so either in an email or a PM. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon if worse doesn't get worse with Crystal. -walks over to Zypher and comforts her-

**_Notice:_** My cat's health hasn't gotten better so today, on April 30 of 2007, my beloved pet cat Crystal was put down. It was heartbreaking to hear her last cries before she left this world and she will always be in my heart. Because of this, all updates will be halted for a while until I can get back on my feet. I'm sorry for this bad news. I hope you'll continue to read and leave reviews. I'll see you all again soon.


	12. Neverending Day

Zypher: Well, here we are with a long awaited chapter for Chains of the Seal. Again, if you have any costume ideas for the future chapters' cards that I listed from the last chapter, don't hesitate to tell me your ideas. Anywho, glad you enjoy the last chapter, and gave me so much support when my cat died, and here's another for you.

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 12

* * *

Today at Domino High, the school was holding a special period where mothers and fathers of the students come in to talk about their line of work. For today, it was Yugi's father who came in and explained to them about his work in archaeology. Yugi listened intently, amazed by his father work seeing as this was the first time he ever heard one of his lecture, he being a college professor and all. Ryou sat next to him, also listening and turned to Yugi, smiling. "Your dad has a wonderful occupation, Yugi. And to travel to Egypt, I always loved to go there one day."

"Yeah, me too." Yugi replied.

Soon, the bell rung and Fujitaka stopped in his lecture, looking to his watch. "Hmm, I thought I had ten more minutes." he whispered but smiled anyway to the large group of students, thanking them for their time. They clapped, also amazed at his work and the principal came up, also thanking him for taking time out of his schedule to talk with the students. Yugi clapped as well, thinking to himself how he wished all the classes felt this short.

Li and Marik walked over to Fujitaka, Li asking most of the questions about the pharaohs' tombs and curses. Fujitaka chuckled, explaining that the tombs don't really hold curses but seeing him so interested in them invited him to visit one day. "You serious!" he exclaimed and he nodded. "Sure. You seem so fascinated by the ancient artifacts of Egypt and I have even more interesting ones back home so you can come by whenever you wish to see them." Li cheered and Marik smirked to him. "See? Isn't Yugi's dad quite the character?"

"Yugi?" Li questioned.

"Yeah. Don't you remember from the festival? I remembered seeing you out there having lunch with them." Marik spoke and Li went back to that day, remembering that he did see Fujitaka, just never knew he was Yugi's father. He turned to where Yugi stood with Diamond and Ryou, waving to his father and glowered. Yugi blanched at the dark look.

"Now, what's his problem?" he muttered. Diamond chuckled and placed a hand over his head. "I say don't worry about it. Why don't we go and look for Sakura?" He nodded in agreement and they both went to look through the crowd for the other.

* * *

Fujitaka was on his way back home when he heard someone calling him and saw Yugi running towards him with a big smile. "Ah, Yugi. Glad to see you. It wasn't too hard for everyone to understand, do you?" he asked. "No, I think you did fine." Yugi replied and he sighed with relief. "That's good to know. So, what would you like for dinner tonight?"

"Huh? I though jii-chan was cooking tonight?" Yugi spoke. "He was but I switched with him. He had a call from a sick friend and I told him he could go visit." Yugi nodded in understanding but before he could give a request, the bell run, signaling the end of recess. "Recess is over already." he groaned and his father chuckled.

"That's alright. I'll make something good for tonight. You best get going." Yugi nodded and soon left. "Oh! And your friend Jou said he'll be coming over tonight to study with another friend who has an exam tomorrow!" Fujitaka called and Yugi nodded before entering the building to finish up the last of his classes.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner, Yugi was bringing up a late night snack for Jou, Seth and Aqua who all came over to help Seth study for the exams. Kero was in his room, playing a game and also wondering what Yugi was doing up so late still. Yugi reached the room and knocked, telling them he had some snacks for them. The door opened and there stood Aqua, smiling down to him.

"Good evening, Yugi. Now what are you still doing up?" he questioned softly. Yugi blushed slightly and held up the tray with nikuman and some drinks. "Oh. Thank you. Right on time, too. Don't know how long we were planning to sit there and listen to Jou complain about hunger after we ate dinner a few hours ago." Aqua chuckled lightly before patting his head.

"Thanks for letting us come over and bringing us a small snack." Yugi nodded, still blushing. When the door closed, Yugi gave a breath before heading to his room just as Kero defeated the main boss monster on the second level to the last and cheered.

"Yatta! I did it!" he praised and Yugi smiled before heading to bed. Kero made sure to save the game, ready to start to final battle of the game the next day, before turning the console off and fluttered over to the lights. He turned them off and headed over the bed where a small pillow waited for him and he lied down

"Oyasumi, Yugi-kun." Kero spoke.

"Oyasumi."

* * *

Even later in the night, about 11:59 PM and inching closer to 12 midnight, everyone in the Motou household was in deep sleep.

But that didn't last for long.

When the alarm clock in Yugi's room struck 12, so did the clock tower at his school and the bells started to ring, carrying its sound across the city and waking up many, including the peacefully sleeping family within the game shop. Yugi jolted awake and looked out the window. The others in the house woke up as well, coming out into the hall and speaking quietly amongst themselves but Yugi was able to hear them.

"Isn't that the bell at Yugi's school?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about that but it usually rings at 5:00 AM." Jou replied.

Yugi got up from bed and walked over, looking to his school in the distance. Kero, who was also awakened by the sound of the bell, fluttered over to Yugi's side and landed on his shoulder. "That bell sure is loud. Is that clock at your school broken?" he asked.

"No, it was never broken before. I don't know what would cause that now if it was." Yugi replied. Still questioning the phenomenon of the bell ringing so late at night, they just headed back to sleep or at least as best as they could with the bell singing ringing.

* * *

"Oh, I'm going to be late!" Yugi cried as he rushed to get ready. Kero was yawning, sitting at the console with the controller before him and ready to start the final battle. "Man, I really didn't get much sleep last night because of that bell. Hopefully someone will fix it." he murmured. Yugi grabbed his uniform jacket and school bag before bidding Kero a quick goodbye and left, hoping to catch up with Jou and the other who were also rushing to get ready. Kero watched him go before shrugging and turning back to the game and gaped.

"All my data's gone! All that work, gone!" he whined.

* * *

At school, Yugi was in his music class, having a recorder test and on of the student were starting his test, playing the piece perfectly and Yugi hoped that he would do just as well. He was going over the sheet music, trying the fingering and knew in his mind that the high D would be tough to play.

"Relax, Yugi. You'll get it." Sakura said, patting his shoulder. "I hope so." Yugi muttered. The student that played earlier was finally done and some clapped at his performance and he bowed before returning to his seat.

"Next is Mr. Motou." Yugi flinched when his name was called and Sakura patted his shoulder once more before he stood, walking stiffly to the front of the class and prepared to start his test. The teacher started to play on the piano and Yugi followed the mental sheet music that he practiced hard to remember. During the next measure was where he became embarrassed.

When he reached the high D, his fingering slipped slightly, causing a weird sound to come from his recorder and he blushed heavily but the teacher only smiled, urging him to continue and he did so, finishing up the piece and returned back to his seat. Sakura patted his shoulder as his head was downcasted, feeling that the odd sound he made on the recorder was the end of the world.

* * *

At recess, a group of students were playing soccer and Yugi was sitting on the stairs leading to the court, still wallowing in self-pity for the recorder test. "I made such a weird sound. And its all thanks for not practicing as much as I should have been doing." Yugi muttered. Diamond was sitting next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, Yugi. It wasn't that bad. You played the piece well. Don't let such a tiny mistake mess with your head." Yugi looked to her and smiled, thanking her. "Yeah, you do have a point. But you, Diamond, you were great. I couldn't tell whether you were playing the sheet music or something entirely different." She laughed softly and patted his head. "Stop trying to flatter me, Yugi. Just playing what the sheet music had."

"I know but yours just sounded different from everyone else." They heard some music and turned to see Li walking by, still playing the same piece they did for the test which walking. "Still practicing even after the test is over. Wonder why?" Ryou questioned. "Now that I think about it, I wonder if he moved here from Hong Kong all by himself? I never heard anything about his family." Diamond added.

"Look out!" Someone called, the ball coming straight for him. He looked up and raised his leg up, kicking it and the ball flew right at the goal. So fast that even the goalie didn't know it passed him until he heard the ball hit the ground beside him. "Wow, what an amazing kick!" One of the students spoke as both teams on the field clapped at Li's skill.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly at the praise before walking along. The day continued on normally even though Yugi still thought recess still ended way too short and the classes felt like they were longer than usual.

When he went home, he was accompanied with Jou, Seth and Aqua. Seth took his exams that day and Jou wanted to give them a small party in hopes that he passed with flying colors since he were in advanced classes and all. Yugi passed out drinks to them all and they gave small cheers for passing their exams for today.

"So, how did you two do?" Yugi asked as he drank some of the juice he had. "I think it went pretty well." Seth replied. "What about you?" Yugi sighed, hating to relive the memory.

"Made one little mistake. I think I could've done much better if it wasn't for that mistake." Aqua laughed softly before calling Yugi to look at him. "Yugi, don't let that get to you. Making one mistake won't chance anything. Just practice harder and you'll get it perfectly." Yugi nodded, a light blush dusting his cheek and he smiled before they all decided to head for bed.

Kero was still up, trying to make it back to where he was yesterday since his data was mysteriously erased and Yugi was sitting at his desk, practicing the music over and over again until he could get it perfectly as he could think. Kero defeated the boss battle and smiled, making sure to properly save his game this time.

Yugi finished the sheet music and smiled, seeing that he as able to make it through with no flaws. "Did you hear that, Kero? I think I got it now but I'm going to practice some more when I go to school tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea but for now, we both get to bed. It's late." Yugi nodded in agreement and both got ready for bed before slipping in and fell asleep, ready to do what they have planned for tomorrow.

But again, just like the night before, the bells at Domino High chimed once the clock hit midnight but the odd things was the clock face. If anyone was up to see it, they would've say the clock face mysteriously started rewinding as if setting time backwards to the day before which now became today.

* * *

"What? I know I saved the game properly!" Kero cried as he turned the game on only to find his data was erased again.

Yugi was once again rushing to get ready for school and picked up his jacket and school bag before leaving out the door, leaving Kero to whine about his data going missing again. As Yugi walked with his friends, Ryou told Yugi to do his best on the recorder test today and Yugi stopped, wondering why they were having another test when they just had one yesterday.

* * *

In the class, the student played his piece without fault and Yugi was practicing his fingering again. "Do you think you'll do well, Yugi-kun?" Sakura asked. "I'm sure I will. I practiced a lot last night." Sakura smiled and nodded. "Good to hear. You shouldn't have any problems then." she said and he nodded before looking down to the table.

_'But this...all of this...it feel like it did yesterday. Like it's some odd twist of déjà vu cause I know we had this test yesterday...'_ he thought before turning to Sakura to ask about his inquiry. She only smiled. "You sure you aren't nervous?" He sighed. "No, it's not that!" he murmured. He heard his name be called and he stood, heading to the front, shoulders a little slumped and Sakura called to him, saying for him to relax. He did so and when he reached the front, he started to play the piece along with the teacher and did better than before.

During recess, they were sitting back outside again and Yugi was explaining to Diamond and Ryou that everything felt the same as it did yesterday. "In all actuality, it is the same!" Diamond looked curious. "And then what's supposed to happen next then if it's true in what you say?"

"Li comes by and kicks the soccer ball that comes flying at him." Yugi replied.

"There he is now." Ryou pointed out, seeing Li walking over and Yugi turned to him, seeing it odd the he wasn't playing his recorder like yesterday. He stopped before them and crossed his arms as he looked to Yugi. "Don't you think it's a little strange? We just had a recorder test yesterday and now we had another one." he spoke. Yugi hopped up when he heard him say that.

"Then I guess we're the only two to have noticed it." Yugi said and then thought about Yami who must've noticed it as well. "Then I guess you haven't noticed it. The presence of a Clow card. It's the doing of one." Li said and Yugi gasped before looking down.

_'I haven't noticed a thing. Now he's going to say something about it as always.'_ Yugi thought. Luckily, he didn't say anything, just pointed to the bell tower. "The card is over there." he said before hearing a kid say to look out and they turned to see the ball coming at Li and again, he jumped and kicked it, hitting the goal. "A little different from yesterday but still the same." Yugi whispered as they students clapped at Li's performance.

* * *

Later that night, Sakura, Diamond, Ryou and Yugi were at the school, ready to capture the card and end the never-ending day. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with a pale white vest with dark, ice blue trimming. A pair of dark blue pants that reached to his ankles encased his legs and a pair of ice blue fairy wings rested over his shoulders. "Hey, this was that same costume you were working before, wasn't it, Diamond?" he asked.

"Yeah. Since you didn't wear it before, catching this card would be the best time as any." she spoke and he nodded.

Kero fluttered down to him and rested on his head. "Yugi, how did you learn a card was present? And here in the bell tower?" he asked. "Well, it wasn't me. Li found out about it and told me." Kero snorted before hearing Diamond say she was standing by and he nodded. "Then let's go!" Soon, Yugi was up in the air with assistance with Fly, heading to the tower and the card the waited within it. Not far from them, they heard a roar and saw Yami making his way towards them.

/So, another card has revealed itself?/ he asked and Yugi nodded.

"Yeah. It's in the tower. I'm going in to see if I can see it now." Yami nodded and Yugi flew closer to the tower. Yugi look hard at the tower before seeing the presence of the Clow card within the tower. _'So there is one in there.'_ he thought and waved to Yami as he started for the tower. Yami followed behind and the card hiding within the tower made its move as well.

It placed its hand over what appeared to be an hourglass and the sand that was pouring into the bottom half came to a stop and Kero lifted his head at the shift. Yami was the other to have noticed and Yugi looked to them, wondering what they felt. Soon, he felt something pass by and everything felt like it was coming to a stop. "What going on?" he tried to say but even he was starting to slow down.

/The flow of time is.../ Yami tried to speak but soon, everything came to a halt. The card within the tower then had the sand within the lower half come back up, reversing time up until the time they came there. "Kero, what is..."

"It's the Time card. A card the freely controls the flow of time." Kero explained as Yami came to land next to them instead of meeting them in the air. "I'm standing by." Diamond spoke. Yugi only nodded and climbed onto Yami's back and he started for the air, flying towards the tower. "It makes me wonder why Ryou and Diamond never notice." Yugi said.

/Because they don't have any magical ability so they never feel the shift in time./ Yami explained and Yugi nodded. /At the moment, it looks like Time fused itself with the largest clock tower in town so this may be difficult./

"Then just like before, it will rewind the entire day."

/Yes but Time can only do so once a day, at midnight./ Yugi thought about it and then shuddered as he looked to the time. "So if it hits midnight...and time reverses..."

"The we'll have to go through the entire day again!" Yugi whined, thinking about doing the recorder test all over again. Kero whined as well, thinking about going through all those tough battles all over again. "We have to seal it away quickly!" Kero spoke and Yugi nodded, patting Yami's side and he started for the tower at high speed before Time could do anything. But it was too late for Time started to speed up time so it will reach midnight quickly.

/We're not going to make it! Time speeding up time around the tower./ Yami said.

Once it hit midnight, time started reversing, making them go through the day all over again until night time where they headed out again for the clock tower. Yami was already waiting for them where they meet. Diamond spoke the same lines all over again and Kero was complaining about doing the same battles three times.

"You can't complain! I had to take the recorder test three times already!" Yugi exclaimed. /But my thought is why did you come at the same time as before?/ Yami questioned. "Because my friends, my dad and I celebrated after doing our tests today and I wanted to be there." Yugi said.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice asked and they all turned to see Li there. He had a bandage over his nose which Yami spotted. /What happened to you?/ he asked. "Li got hit with the soccer ball today but it still managed to get into the goal." Yugi explained. Yami started to chuckled and Li pouted. "Anyway, Time is fused with the tower,"

/We know that already./

"So in order to catch it, you need to destroy the clock tower!" Ryou gasped and shook his head. "No, you shouldn't do that." he said. "He's right. It would be impossible to hide a destroyed clock tower. Besides, the town relies on that clock more than you think."

"So what? You're planning to leave it where it is?" Li asked angrily. "No but I can't destroy the clock." Yugi spoke. Li sighed and tried to think of an alternative. "Well, since we can't destroy the clock, then we'll have to slip in unnoticed." He then turned to Yugi. "So if you fly over there with magic, it'll notice." Yugi nodded and told Yami to stay before he and Diamond left to head inside, Kero fluttering beside them as they went.

Outside, Li had a grappling hook with him and swung it, latching it somewhere hear the top of the tower where the bells were and the Time card that was hidden within looked up when it heard the sound. Back inside, Yugi and Diamond stopped their ascent.

"Was it no good?" Diamond asked. "No but I think we'll be having a surprise guest momentarily."Yugi said. Just as he thought, Li came in through one of the windows, surprising the Time card that didn't notice they were so close. "Yugi! Use the Shield card!" he called and he nodded, bringing out said card.

"Shield, protect me from the power of time. Shield!" he chanted, tapping the card with the sealing staff and soon a bubble appeared around them, blocking Time's power as it tried to cast it upon them. "It worked!" Yugi cheered. "Yeah, wit the Shield card in place, Time's power can't reach you."

"Forget that! It's trying to run!" Li called, the Time card moving from the place it was and leapt from the tower in hopes to escape. They ran up, the stairs leading outside and Li unsheathed his sword. "Thunder God, come!" Li called and two talismans that were on the pillars that Time passed through lit up, sending lightning out that shocked the card, causing it to drop the hourglass that was the source of its power. Yugi walked passed him and raised the Sealing Staff.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow Card!" Yugi called, tapping the air before him and the image of the card appeared, sucking in the Time card and returning it back to its original card form. Yugi reached out to grab the card but it passed him, which confused him but Yami leapt up through the opening, grabbing the card in his teeth and snorted at Li.

/You don't deserved this./ he growled. Li growled right back at him as Yami walked over to Yugi.

"You can't do that. The person that reveals the card's true form gains the card. As much as I hate to say it, Li held back the card's power so it's rightfully his." Kero spoke.

/Well, Yugi is the one I trust the power of the cards with more. If I'm not around and Li reveals a card then he can grab it himself./ Yami hissed, sending a deadly glare at Kero to say so otherwise.

He, as well as Li, backed off and he snorted his triumph before handing the card to Yugi. /Guard it well, antwy ahku./ he whispered and Yugi nodded. "What does that mean?"

/Antwy ahku means my light and you are definitely the light that I've been waiting for./ Yami spoke. Yugi blushed lightly before nodding once more and after Diamond gathered the footage she wanted, she, Sakura and Ryou left for their homes after bidding Yugi goodnight. Li huffed as he looked to Yugi and then Yami before he too returned home.

Yami nuzzled Yugi lightly before kneeling down, letting Yugi climbed upon his back and soon, they were off back toward the shop, Kero flying behind them quietly. _'There's something about Yami and I need to figure it out soon. He knows so much about the cards and yet I never heard of a guardian with his name.'_ Kero thought as they soon reached the shop and Yami opened the skylight before slipping inside.

* * *

The next day, Yugi greeted Diamond at the door and she smiled, returning the greeting. "So after today, time will be passing normally." Yugi spoke with a sigh, happy that he wouldn't have to go through another day like yesterday. "Yeah, and to think, I'd never notice it at all." Diamond spoke before looking to Yugi's bag, seeing the case with the recorder there. "Yugi, you have your recorder with you?"

"Yeah, we have a recorder test today, right?" he asked.

She chuckled. "No, that was yesterday. Today we have a kanji writing test during our first period class." she said and Yugi sighed, taking the recorder from his bag. "Great, after going through it three times before, I still think that we have the test again today." Yugi muttered and she patted his shoulder, promising to give him her notes so he could get a quick study before the test.

Above, within the bell tower, Yami watched, eyes glazed from the sunlight, with a small smile on his face. _'You will do well, antwy ahku. As long as I'm here, you will gain all the cards and not that fool from Clow's mother's side of the family.'_ he thought before deciding to rest in the tower until nightfall.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for this chapter. Yes, I know that Li was officially supposed to get the Time card but as requested from Red Dragon, and also giving me an idea how to work out what to do with the fact that Li was supposed to be the one that helps Sakura when she gets trapped in the past by the Return card (major spoiler here), I've given it to Yugi. This might happen maybe a few times but I'll probably keep Li with getting the cards he supposed to. Anyways, hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and I shall see you soon with another.


	13. Test of Strength

Zypher: Well, here we are with another chapter to Chains of the Seal. Glad you all enjoyed the last one so your wish is granted with another chapter in your face. Enjoy!

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 13

* * *

Late at night around Domino Park, things were quiet and peaceful other than the gentle chirping of the crickets. But their songs halted as something louder came into play. Large, heavy footsteps made their way into the park, the cause of it invisible to all but the footsteps clear on the pavement. It looked around before spotting the large, decorative slide and started towards it before stopping once more and gripped onto it...

* * *

Jou yawned as he came downstairs, greeting Mr. Motou who was preparing a lunch for Yugi's field trip. "Maa, maa, Jounouchi. You sure do love spending the nights here a lot, don't you?" Fujitaka spoke with a small chuckle. Jou gave his own chuckle as he sat down at the table. "Yeah. I blame it on the good food." They both had another round of laughter before they heard Yugi walking into the kitchen as well, giving them their quick morning greetings.

"Well, I think its going to rain. Yugi's up on time." The elder Motou spoke as we walked in. Yugi gave a pout. "Hey! That's mean, jii-chan!" Yugi said and he chuckled along with his father and friend. Jou turned to look over to the television when he heard the news report going on.

/We bring you breaking news today here at Domino Park. An unspeakable crime happened here last night in the small section knows as Penguin Park./ The reporter spoke. A clip was shown and Jou gaped. _'H-how did someone do that...'_ he wondered. Fujitaka walked from behind the island counter, holding Yugi's lunch.

"Here you are, Yugi. A lunch with all your favorites." he said and Yugi thanked him happily as he took the lunch. "Hey, Yugi, word of warning. Be careful if you're going through the park on your way to school." Jou said.

"Why's that?"

Jou pointed to the TV screen and he followed the motion. The result, the same expression as Jou when he saw what they were talking about.

* * *

"Ok! I'm leaving now!" Yugi called, strapping on his skates on before getting up and leaving. He enjoyed the peaceful scenery as he skated along his usual path to school. _'I know no normal person, or people for that matter, can flip over something as heavy as the King Penguin slide in the span of one night. It must be the work of a Clow card.'_ Yugi pondered as he continued to skate.

He stopped his pondering when he heard his name being called from behind and turned to see Seth coming his way. "Oh. Hi, Seth. What are you doing out so early?" he asked.

"I have chores to do at the school. And what of you?"

"School field trip."

"Ah."

They went through the park and Yugi took a glance over to Penguin Park which was packed with the news crew. "Wow, I wonder how this could've happened?" Seth whispered as they came by. Yugi was quiet and focused his mind to locate the card anywhere but felt no aura. _'Guess it disappeared after doing its deed here. But still, what card could've done such a thing?' _

"Yugi? Is something wrong?" Seth asked, pausing for a moment. Yugi jumped a little and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Seth. Just thinking." He only nodded and they continued on their way before splitting up to head to their own schools. From the clock tower, Yami watched him, giving a small smile.

_'I wonder where he's heading to today?'_ he thought, seeing the buses that were lined up out front before watching Yugi walk into the school. After the class left out, he decided to follow, ready to offer help in case another card shows itself.

* * *

Once they reached the park, Terada-sensei was standing before the group of teens. "Now, today you're going to observe the animals that were chosen for your groups. Does everyone remember which group you're in?" he questioned.

"Hai!" They chorused.

"Then group leaders, come and get your cameras." The group leaders for each group came up to their sensei, grabbing a camera from the bag sitting before them. "Now, as you're doing your research, I want you to also write a report on the animals you're working on. And don't forget to be back at the front gate by 2:00."

"Hai!"

"Ok then, class dismissed!" With that, the groups were on their way, heading towards the destined location given to them by the teacher. As Yugi and his group walked along, Myrrh handed Diamond the camera. "Since you know more about cameras than we do, you should take charge of the pictures." she spoke and Diamond smiled.

"No problem. With me taking the pictures, we'll ace this report easy." They gave a small laugh as they continued to walk to their designated location. "Hey, did anyone see the news this morning?" Shizuka asked. "Yeah. How something so big got flipped over like that is a mystery." Malik said. "Maybe it was a ghost."

At the mention of said creature, Yugi gulped. _'A-a ghost...?'_

"You don't really think so, do you? If it was a ghost, it would have to be a pretty powerful one." Diamond added. "Maybe it could be the ghost of a sumo." Ryou quipped, none noticing Yugi's quiet retreat. Shizuka squealed slightly. "I hope it's a scary one! I always loved scary things!" Yugi gasped before pointing along the path.

"Hey, I think I see the elephants! Let's go!" With that, he ran off, nearly tripping along the way. "Yugi was never a fan of ghost stories." you murmured with a small chuckle. "Oh? But they're fun to listen to." Shizuka spoke. From the top of a animal's cage, hidden from sight, Yami sighed.

/Yugi, dear. You forgotten what I've told you before.../ He sighed in exasperation.

* * *

Over at the Three-toed sloth exhibit was Marik's group. In it was Marik himself, Li and three other kids from their class. "Well, there you are." he said, pointing up to the lone animal in his cage. "Wow, its so cool." One said with the other nodded in agreement.

"Do you think it's related to monkeys?"

"Yeah, probably is."

Li too was interested in seeing the animal for the first time as well as he stood beside Marik. "So, this is a sloth..." he whispered. "Yep. Pretty cute, isn't he?" he suggested before looking to the other three still crowding the cage eagerly. "Well, remember, we were assigned to this guy so make sure you observe him well." The three turned back to him and nodded.

"No problems here with that!" A kid exclaimed and he chuckled and nodded as they went to place their bags away before bringing out their notebooks used to take notes and went back over to the cage.

While Marik and the others were taking quick notes, Li was taking pictures. He sat there in wait, seeing if the sloth would make any movement while they were there. He waited for another moment before lowering the camera. "I wonder if its true that sloths are true to their name and don't move much?" he questioned. "Actually that's not true." Marik spoke and Li turned to him.

"Really?"

"Yep. They're actually quite agile even though with them hanging like that, you expect that they won't do much." Li was in awe as he looked up to the animal once more. "You serious?"

"Right again. When sloths get into the mood to move, they are quite fascinating. Their fastest recorded speed is supposed to be over 100km an hour."

The other three chuckled as they realized Marik was playing his tricks again. "There he goes again. Telling lies for some laughs later."

"Yeah. They're so ridiculous, you can point out they're lies but it looks like the new kid is falling for them."

"Well, looks like Marik found himself another victim to tease with lies to make him feel gullible."

Li was still enamored by the information he received from Marik and looked to the sloth, hoping that the furry creature would be in the mood to do something while they were there. "Right! I'm going to make sure I get this on film!" he said in determination as he lifted the camera up once more, watching the sloth intently.

* * *

When Yugi's group reached the elephant exhibit, the mother was giving her baby a bath and they smiled to be able to catch the scene. "And they said that these elephants could understand us just a little bit and can do tricks." Ryou said as Diamond started taking the pictures for their report. Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I remember when they showed that on TV." he replied. Malik nodded. "Do you remember the tug-o-war trick? Man, these guys are powerful and I know it for a fact after seeing that."

Diamond lowered the camera and looked to them. "Alright, you guys, remember. We do need to observe them. Let's do our best to make this report an A+." They nodded but before they could get set up, a rumble came pass and they all cried out. "Whoa! Is this an earthquake!" Malik exclaimed. "No, it's something else." Yugi whispered as it passed and he looked around. Ryou walked over and looked to them.

"It sounds more as if something huge fell somewhere." Whatever it was, it was making the animals irritated. Monkeys were howling and the wolves were snarling and growling in anger. The birds that were settled flew off as a gust of wind blew past there and Yugi had a foreboding feeling that a Card was about to make its appearance soon.

But he didn't ponder on it much as the animals relaxed and so did he, him and his friends gathering their notebooks and started to take notes, the keepers of the elephant exhibit letting some of the small children come in to play another tug-o-war game with the mother. Diamond was still taking pictures before she took a glance over to Yugi.

"Hey, Yugi. Did Kero come with you today?" Yugi shook his head. "No. He stayed home today." he said but heard a muffle sound from his bag. He looked back to it, curious, and then to Diamond. He removed his bag from his back, kneeling down and opening it.

Kero's head popped out from the bag, dizzy from the trip there and Yugi gasped. "Kero! What are you doing here?" he whispered frantically. Malik and Myrrh turned to him, wondering if something was wrong and he turned to them, smiling. "T-the elephants are amazing, aren't they?" he said in hopes to distract them. Malik nodded with a smile. "Yeah. They are." he replied before looking to him again. "Are you almost done with our report?"

"Just a little more."

"Alright then." Myrrh said happily. "Good luck with the rest of it!"

He nodded and once their attention was back onto the elephant, he sighed and turned back to his bag. Grabbing it and closing it quickly, he dashed off, Diamond following behind him and once they were in the clear, he opened it and let Kero out. He gave a big yawn before looking up to Yugi. "Glad you finally noticed." he said. "Kero! I though you said you were going to stay home today?"

"Well, I did say that but the lunch your dad was making smelled so go. So I wandered in..." he said, demonstrating how he slipped inside Yugi's bag. He poke his head back out. "See?"

"Oh. So that's why my bag felt a little heavy when I left."

"Well, it wasn't only me." Kero quipped as he lifted the huge bento made for Yugi. "Your lunch is big too." Yugi gave a small sighed as he looked to Kero. "Well, if you wanted to come, you should've told me and I would've let you." Kero placed the lunch back into his bag and fluttered out. "Yeah but I kinda wanted to surprise you." Diamond gave a light chuckle. "Well, you succeeded with that, Kero." she spoke. Yugi gave another sigh. "Yeah well next time, Kero, make your surprises when I'm not in a crowd."

Back with the group, Terada-sensei was walking through, checking on their progress. Myrrh, seeing him walk by, quickly dug through her bag, taking out a bento wrapped in a little bunny napkin and ran after him. "Terada-sensei! Wait!" she called and he stopped. "Yes?" She smiled softly as she held out the bento. "Here, I made some lunch for you." The teacher smiled and took the bento from her. "Thank you, Myrrh." He pat her head lightly before he walked along, holding the lunch in hand. She smiled, brushing a strand of her hair back before she returned to her group.

* * *

At the sloth exhibit, the sloth finally moved and happily, Li caught a picture of it. "It finally moved!" he said gleefully. "Yep. At 11:46, it moved just a bit." Marik jotted down. The other three that were taking avid notes were starting to get a little restless. "Man, it's been an hour and it only moved three times."

"Is that much or not a lot?"

"I dunno."

"Look, its moving again!"

"11:47, moved..." One jotted down. Marik smirked. "Moving three times in two minutes. Maybe it's ready to do something." Marik spoke and hearing this, Li looked up eagerly, waiting to see something spectacular. They heard something huge fall again and Li's attention focused on the sound. With Yugi and Diamond, it was the same. "It's that sound of something falling again..." Yugi whispered and Kero looked to him. "Do you feel it now?" he questioned. Yugi let his power spread before nodding.

"Yeah...the presence of a Clow Card." He yelped as a penguin, free from its cage, waddled by them.

"Looks like the penguin cage was broken." Diamond muttered.

"Well, penguins aren't a problem but if the big animals get free, we're in for some trouble." Kero pondered. They heard another crash and they quickly got out and made their way out of the small hiding spot to see a cage totaled by something. People started to panic and rushed towards the entrance.

They heard another crash and Kero pointed out the direction to head in. Yugi nodded and they both ran off, encountering Ryou, Malik and Myrrh along the way. "We need to get to the entrance! Terada-sensei will be there!"

"You guys go on ahead! We'll be back shortly!" Yugi spoke as he and Diamond along with Ryou ran off. They watched them go before they did as told and left for the entrance. With Li, he also felt the presence of the card and was about to run off when Marik called his name. He looked back to him and then to the camera in hand before tossing it to him.

"Hold onto that for me!" he said as he started for the location of where the card was. Yugi, Ryou and Diamond continued running, Yugi making sure that the card was coming from the direction Kero pointed out.

"I'm sure of it." he confirmed. Ryou looked around, seeing that no people were around as of now. "Guess they all evacuated." he whispered and Kero nodded. "Makes it much easier for us! We surely don't need anyone around when we used magic." Kero spoke. They stopped when a horde of zebra came running by, freed from their cage.

"What card could be doing this?" Yugi asked, worried. "Hmm, a card that break cages," Kero pondered. They stepped back as something slammed the ground before them, leaving a small ditch before them.

"What the...?"

"That was the card!"

"But it was too fast!"

Another slam was heard as the card hit another cage, breaking it and Kero told them to follow the trail. Whatever card it was soon reached the elephant exhibit and the mother was ready to protect her young from the intruder. The card came closer, leaving the small ditches in its wake. A roar was heard as Yami flew down, not startling the elephants one bit. He looked around for the card as Yugi, Diamond and Ryou arrived. More holes were being made, preventing the elephants from moving anywhere.

"The elephants are too afraid. I think Yami won't be able to get them out." Yugi whispered. "At this rate, with me not knowing what card this could be, I don't know how to take care of it." Kero murmured. The mother gave a cry as she started to fight with something invisible before she was overpowered and pretty much tossed into the air. Yami gasped before looking to Yugi. /Yugi! The Key! Bring out the Key and hurry! I won't be able to bring her down gently myself!/ he called as he flew to help the elephant mother before she could get injured.

Yugi nodded and brought out the Key, transforming it into the Sealing Staff. "Windy!" he called, summoning the wind monster from her card. Yami was falling fast as he tried to slow the descent of the elephant but before he and the elephant could hot the ground, the large gust of wind soften their descent, letting Yami land gently and let the elephant stand on her own feet again. The mother and child got together as Yami sighed.

"That was way too close. Yami and the elephants could've got hurt." Yugi spoke.

"But for something to toss her so easily, what kind of card could it be?" Diamond questioned and it finally downed on Kero. He turned to Yugi and whispered something into his ear and he looked shocked as he turned to him. "Are you sure?"

"We don't have time to ponder. That dragon and the elephants are in danger if we let this go on any longer." Kero said. Yugi nodded, seeing that the card was making another attempt to toss the mother elephant into the air again.

"Wait!" he called and the card halted. "You're the Power card, aren't you? Y-You want to have a test of strength, right?"

From where they stood, Ryou looked to Kero. "A test of strength? What's that going to do?"

"Power always boasts on how powerful it is a lot. As proof...it tried to challenge the mother." Kero spoke. The Power card dropped the mother elephant before coming at Yugi. Yugi gasped before calling on Yami who swooped past the card and lifted Yugi into his arms before flying out of the path of the card. The card continued on its way towards the tree they were hiding behind and they quickly ran from it as it hit, causing the tree to tumble over from the force of the card's attack.

"See? It's a good thing that he's there for you?"

A vein pulsed on Yugi's forehead as Yami landed again. "A good thing! I would've got mauled if it wasn't for him being nearby! And blind to boot!"

"Well, hurry and tell it what the test of strength challenge will be unless you want to grapple with it and lose!" Kero called. Yugi nodded before gasping as the card came for him again. Leaping onto Yami's back, he started to lead the dragon towards the other as the card followed behind. "What should I pick though!" Yugi questioned. /It has to be something you know you can win, little captor./ Yami answered.

"I don't know a single thing I could come up with to win against that!"

/Well, if you don't hurry, it will continue to follow us around./

Yugi nodded and tried to think of anything hat won't have him get hurt before blurting out one thing.

"Tug-o-War!" he cried and soon, it stopped and so did they, turning to see the card appear. The Power card looked like a little girl, all pink and wearing puffy pink clothes. Two red bracers were on her arms and her hair was don't up in an intricate bun with little pieces hanging from the back of it. "She does look quite cute for someone causing so much destruction." Diamond whispered and Yugi kinda agreed with her as he climbed down to Yami's back.

"But don't base powers on looks. Power will hurt you bad if you thought she was weak based off her looks." Kero spoke.

Power looked over to the rope railing and quickly snapped off the rope with ease, handing one end to Yugi and holding the other. She gave a small smile before she tug, already overwhelming Yugi with her power but he continued to hold himself up as he was being dragged along the ground. "Kero!"

"Yugi! Use the cards! Use Windy to hold her down!"

"I'm kinda tied up at the moment, Kero!" Yugi hissed as he continued to try and keep himself from losing. He still skidded forward but was soon stopped and he turned to see the elephant there, helping him in the game. "This is great!" he said happily and soon, Power was starting to be tug towards them. Inclined to not lose, she started using more of her strength. Kero fluttered over to Yami and tapped his head. /What?/ he growled.

"Shouldn't you help too? I for one thought you would have been."

/I will when the time comes./

Kero looked down to him, wondering what he could possibly mean by that but only shrugged. They still were holding back, none moving but Power starting giving off more of her strength, soon pulling both Yugi and the elephant. Yami closed his eyes and Kero felt a spike of power.

/Time. Heed my call. As the Chinese Dragon of Ying, answer me. Freeze time to everyone but myself so I can assist the captor in his goal./ he chanted and Kero gasped. _'He's...he's...'_ Kero started but soon, time came to a stop, freezing everyone but Yami. He opened his eyes which were now clear and he stood, walking over to Power side of the line and took it from her hand.

One that was taken care, he walked back over to where he was sitting before and closed his eyes again as Time's power faded the three fell back. After the pause, Li arrived, hidden up in the branches of a tree. He looked down to Yami, feeling some of his power still coursing around and his eyes narrowed.

_'Yugi still doesn't know who he's working with. There's no doubt about it. He's one of the Ying Dragons from the only card not part of Clow Reed's set.'_

Kero looked between the two and then to Yami, remembering what he said but was at a blank at what happened just moments ago. "Well...by some luck...we won?" he questioned in confusion.

"Guess we did." Ryou murmured. Yugi cheered happily as he bounced around. He then stopped and looked to the mother elephant. "And it was all thanks to you. Thank you for the help." The elephant gave a happy trumpet in response. /Yugi, hurry and seal the card./ Yami called and he nodded as he ran over to Power who still looked sad that she was defeated. He reached down, placing a hand over her head and she looked to him.

"You were quite the match, Power. I can see you becoming useful to help me out with capturing the cards in the future." That made Power smile and he smiled in return as he stood straight and held up the Sealing Staff.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow Card!"

The image of a card appeared underneath Power and soon, she was assimilated into the card and soon, the magic was set as the Power was returned to how she was. Yugi gave a light sigh as he reached to pick up the card. "She was a little too troublesome." he murmured as he walked over to the group. "So, what will the card do for me anyway?"

/Simple. If you use Power, you'll gain power unimaginable./ Yami replied.

"Wow, that's something that probably won't be much help unless I get onto another situation like this." They all laughed and from the tree, Li watched before looking back. "I wonder if that sloth is in the mood to do something after all this?" he wondered and started back for the sloth enclosure. "Hey, Yugi, I have something to ask you..." Diamond spoke, holding up the camera.

* * *

The next day, Yugi was on his way to school with Yami flying high above him. He skated pass Penguin Park and smiled as he looked to the restored King Penguin. He looked ahead to see Diamond and Ryou walking along and called out to the, skating over. "Morning, you two." he greeted. They did the same. Yugi spotted the picture in hand and squeaked. "Diamond...is that..." She grinned and nodded.

"Yep. I'll be keeping this for a little memory." she said.

"Please, don't show that picture to anyone!" Yugi begged. "Don't worry. I won't show it to anyone." she replied. They heard someone calling Yugi's name and they turned to see Seth riding up to them. "Ohayou."

"Ohayou." They greeted. "I heard about what happened at the zoo. Were you alright?" he asked. "Yeah. We're fine." Seth then spotted the picture in Diamond's hand and pointed it out. "Is that a picture from yesterday?"

Diamond nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Soon, a gust of wind blew by, causing the picture to fly from her hands and Seth caught it. "Uh oh..." she whispered and Yugi gulped as Seth took a glance at it. The picture was of Yugi lifting the King Penguin over his shoulders. _'Great...he's gonna learn I have magic now...'_ he thought. "This..." he said in awe before looking to Yugi.

"You must be pretty strong, Yugi." Yugi fell to the ground in shock and Diamond chuckled humorously. "Well, Seth...that's nothing but a composite photo." she said. Seth chuckled.

"Ah, I see. For Yugi to do something like this would require magic or something and magic isn't physically real, right?" They nodded and Ryou helped Yugi back onto his feet before they all started on their way to school again.

_'That was too close. Hopefully no one else will figure out that I have magic or else it'll be chaos...'_ Yugi thought as they soon reached Domino High and said their goodbyes to Seth before heading inside to start their day, Yami settling himself in the clock tower and waited for Yugi to be dismissed at the end of the school day.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it! Another chapter done for all you lovely readers! And now you got to see another little hidden twist that I'm adding in with the use of certain cards that usually would've gone to Li. Hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll shall see you all soon with another chapter. And don't forget that if you have any costume ideas for future episodes that were listed in previous chapters, don't hesitate to tell me about them! I'll give ya a list of which card episodes still doesn't have one yet.

The Storm and The Float cards  
The Dash card (has two for the two attempts at catching it. the second had already been taken care of courtesy of Keara so we just need one for the first time)  
The Big and The Create cards  
The Firey episode (Christmas outfit)  
The Snow card

So send it your ideas if ya have any and remember, visual for these costumes are on the link in my profile! -waves- See ya all later!


	14. Stage Fright

Zypher: And here we are with another chapter for Chains of the Seal. Glad you all enjoyed the last and as always, hoped you'll enjoy this one just as much. Read on everyone!

* * *

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 14

* * *

It was another usual day of the week except for this time, Yugi and his friends were invited to the high school fair held at the neighboring school to Domino High. Yugi smiled brightly as he walked ahead of his friends, looking at everything the fair had to offer for them. "You're really happy about this fair, aren't you, Yugi-kun?" Sakura questioned as she watched him.

"Yep! I just love going to fairs! I'm glad that Aqua was able to give us some tickets in time." he said as he turned to his friends. Diamond laughed softly, bringing the recorder down as she looked over to him. "I'm sure that Seth would have asked too but I think someone a little bit happier that Aqua was the one that gave the invitation." she said cheekily and Yugi blushed.

"Diamond! Will you cut that out?" he whined and she laughed again before they continued to walk along to see more of the sights.

In the back, Aqua was helping the students with the preparations for the play that was to be held later on. He was working on sewing up one of he dresses they needed and sighed lightly. _'How'd I get myself suckered into this one? I was hoping to spend a little time with Yugi before the play.'_ he thought as he looked over the ragged costume dress. One of the girls that were also in the play walked over to him and looked over the dress before smiling brightly. "You did a fine job on fixing that up, Aqua! It's perfect!"

He gave a little smile as well. "Yeah, I do have a good hand for patchwork among other things." The girl giggled softly as he went back to sowing the dress. "You would make a wonderful husband for a lucky someone, Aqua." she said and he nodded. "I would, wouldn't I?" he murmured. _'If it wasn't for the fact I'm a magical card and can't truly live a normal life.'_ he thought, sighing softly as the girl walked off to see to something else. "Hey, Aqua! One of the shoes broke!" A male student called and he stood, placing the dress down on the bench as he walked over.

"Let me see it. Maybe I can fix it up."

* * *

With Yugi and the rest, they were surveying through the school building, treats in hand. "Oh, Kero will be so mad at me that he isn't here right now." Yugi murmured before giving a small yelp. "That's right!"

"What is it, Yugi?" Ryou asked.

"I promised that I would bring back some souvenirs for him." They nodded and followed Yugi along to the second floor of the school, looking for a place where they could get some souvenirs. As they walked along, Yugi smiled brightly as he waved to Seth who was down the hall, stand before one of the classrooms. "Hi, Seth!" Yugi greeted as they all came to stand before him.

"That's a lovely kimono." Diamond praised and he smiled. "Thank you."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Our class is doing a traditional candy shop so they wanted us all to wear traditional Japanese outfits." he explained before opening the flaps of the door. "Why don't you come on in." They nodded and walked inside, awed at the dramatic change a simple classroom took just for this fair. "So, what would you all like? We have ramune soda and cold candy water."

"Ooh, that cold candy water sounds good." Diamond said and Sakura nodded in agreement. "I'll take some ramune soda, please." Yugi said.

"Me too." Ryou added. Seth smiled and nodded. "Ok then. Wait right here." he told them and he walked in to fetch their desired drinks. The group went to take a seat as they waited and soon, Seth was back with their drink. "There you are." They nodded and thanked him as they took a sip. "This is delicious." Diamond said as she looked over to Yugi. "How's your drink, Yugi?" He was about to say something when a shiver went up his spine and she blinked. "Is something wrong?"

"I feel like someone's watching me." he whispered as he looked over and lo and behold, Li was sitting not far from them, a fire in his eyes and Yugi blanched. _'Great...not again...'_ he thought. Sakura leaned over to him to whisper something into his ear. "By the amount of bottles and plates, he's been here a while." she whispered and Yugi nodded in agreement. Li stomped over to them and sent Yugi a fierce glare that he returned.

"Would you like another?" Seth questioned, looking to Li who quickly nodded, turning away from the other until he walked off to fetch the boy another ramune drink. When he was gone, the glare was back. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"We were invited. I should be asking you the same thing." Yugi replied. Li was about to say something else but to Yugi's luck, Seth was back with Li's drink and he sobered up from his anger, taking the drink. "Well, my shift here is over now. Would you like me to give you a tour around the school?"

"Would you?" Both Li and Yugi questioned before the glares returned. Sakura sighed and looked to Ryou. "Those two will never get along, will they?"

"Probably not."

* * *

At that same moment, Aqua was helping out two students with lifting a heavy chest up a few flights of stairs but had to stop when one lost his grip and sat down. "Man, this thing's heavy." he groaned. "Are you sure about that?" Aqua questioned and both students looked to him with a sigh. "Come on now. Isn't this the least bit heavy for you?"

"Not really." he replied with a shrug. On the next floor, a few girls were watching them and sighed happily as they watched Aqua. "Man, you just can't help to like a guy like him."

"Yeah. He's always so helpful. Good at cooking and patchwork. All a woman could dream of." She then looked to the third girl of the group. "Right, Yoko?" She jumped when she was called on and looked to her friends. "Why are you asking me?" she exclaimed. The other two sidled up to her, each with wicked looks on their faces. "Come on. You're cute and you're a good girl with a simple personality."

"Yeah. You're captain of the drama club and your care for others just as much. I'm sure you can get along well with Aqua."

She sighed and elbowed both of them away. "Sheesh! That has nothing to do with this at all!" she murmured before walking of with her things. They both watched her go before giving a sigh. "She's really in love with him."

"Yeah. Too bad there's been rumors going on that he won't take a girlfriend. I tell you, that just adds onto the seven strangest things about this school. Not only does he not take a girlfriend, neither would Tayaki." she murmured. "Hey, you ladies talking about me up there?" Aqua questioned with a smile as he looked up to them. "Oh, not at all!" They chimed before they followed their friend into the gymnasium. He chuckled softly before looking down to the guys and tried to get them moving so they could get the chest where it needs to go.

* * *

When they got back down to the main floor, Yugi looked around the booths before spotting some cute plush toys that the basketball coach had for his booth game. "Oh, they look so cute." he said as he looked them over and Li huffed. "A high school guy like you likes such a thing?"

"Have a problem with that, Li?" he grumbled. "Well, if you would like one, all you have to do is dribble past our five best varsity players. Only 100 yen each." the coach spoke, pointing them out and Yugi sighed. "I'm going to get trampled if I tried." he murmured. Seth looked down to him before giving a smile, stepping forward and handed a 100 yen piece to the coach who blanched. "You're going to try, Tayaki?"

"Yep." The coach sighed before nodding and blew the whistle. One of the players handed the ball to Seth and he was off, ducking and weaving through the players expertly. When he came across their tallest player, he made a grand leap, shooting the ball into the hoop flawlessly. "He's good." Ryou whispered. "Really good." Sakura added. Yugi and Li both cheered for him before stopping when they realized they were at the same time.

"No change?" Diamond asked.

"None whatsoever." Seth walked back over to them, grabbing the plush the coach tossed over to him and he handed it to Yugi, making Li growl in anger that he received something from the older teen. "Thank you." Seth smiled and nodded before holding up four more pieces. The coach groaned. "Again?"

"Just for four more plush toys."

When they were done, everyone except Seth himself held a plush toy. As they were walking along, the coach called out to him, giving him the offer to join their team. Seth told him that he'll think about it and the coach sighed, looking back to his five star players who were worn out after those four rounds against Seth. Seth took a glance at his watch and nodded. "Just about time."

"Time? For what?"

"The play our class is holding at the gymnasium."

"Really, is Aqua going to be in it?" Yugi asked and he nodded. "Yep." Seth replied, snickering lightly. They blinked for a moment before Li asked if he was going to be in it as well. "Yep."

"And what are you going to be?" Diamond questioned.

"A can of mackerel."

"A wha-?" They all exclaimed, looking to him in surprise but Seth was smiling all the while as if the role didn't affect him much. "Well...that quite the yummy role, I suppose." Sakura said. "Indeed. Canned mackerel is quite delicious." Seth spoke as they walked along. "The roles they give for plays these days." Diamond whispered, chuckling softly.

"But I wonder what part Aqua is going to be if he's in it?" Yugi questioned, curious about it now.

* * *

When they all entered the gymnasium, Seth pointed out some good seats for them before heading into the back to get ready along with the other students. What no one noticed is that outside, there was a smog of pale green smoke emerging from the ground, an odd phenomenon to be happening upon school grounds. Back inside, all the students were listening to the soothing melody done on piano by one of the girls from another junior class. When she was done, she stood and bowed, getting applause for her work before the announcement was made about the senior class D getting ready for their play of Cinderella.

"Isn't that the class Aqua and Seth share?" Sakura asked and Yugi nodded. "But why would a can of mackerel be in a play for Cinderella?" Li questioned and they shrugged. "Guess we'll see soon enough." Ryou spoke. The lights dimmed as the curtains were raised and a single spotlight on the person that was on stage, scrubbing at the floors in a ragged dress, a curtain of dark hair covering the person's face.

"Once upon a time, there was a honest girl named Cinderella. She was harassed constantly by her evil stepmother and stepsisters." The narrator spoke. The person stood, back turned to the audience. "But she was always a hardworking girl." The person turned, brushing his long hair from his face and the group was stunned before Yugi yelped, falling from his seat. "Aqua is Cinderella?"

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that. He can really fool people with that hair of his." Diamond muttered with a chuckle. She then heard the cheers and calls from the girls. "And very popular too." Yugi sat back in his seat and sighed. "With his looks, I won't blame him for being popular with the ladies." Diamond pouted as she looked to him. "I hope you're not planning to give up on him so easily."

"Who says that I was trying to go out with him in the first place?" Yugi whined, flushing hotly and Diamond laughed softly.

"Cinderella!" A voice called as three guys dressed up as the evil stepmother and stepsisters walked onto the stage. "Have you've been cleaning this place properly?" he demanded, pushing Aqua.

"Yeah! It's still dirty over here!" One of the sisters hissed, pushing him again.

"You are so worthless!" Another push.

"And by the way, today's miso soup was too salty!" Pushed again.

"What are you trying to do, kill us!" The stepmother spoke once more, kicking the other to the ground. Aqua cried out as he landed, keeping his gaze lowered from those that were supposedly superior over him. _'Why I got myself dragged into this, I will never know...'_ he thought with a short sigh. The stepmother held up three tickets, telling the others that there will be a ball at the palace where the prince will be choosing his wife. The two stepsisters were arguing at one another, claiming that they would become the prince's bride but got over it as they did a mock waltz on the stage.

"Well, the guys seem to be enjoying themselves." Ryou spoke.

"That or they feel really embarrassed." Li mumbled.

"Wow, I would love to come to an actual ball." Aqua whispered as he looked up to his stepsisters and stepmother. "No! Only the three of us will be going! You will stay behind and do your chores, Cinderella!" the stepmother hissed. "And have a late supper ready for when we return!" With a wave, the stepmother and stepsisters left the stage and Aqua gave a small sigh, standing from his spot on the floor, mourning the loss that he wasn't able to go to the ball.

"I wish to go to the ball too but I surely can't go in such rags." he whispered, so much emotion placed into his words that it had the female students swooning. "Hello!" a cheerful voice called and Aqua looked up, Seth walking in, holding a wand and had a band with a can of mackerel on it around his head. "Who are you?" Aqua questioned.

"I'm a sorcerer." Seth replied as he brought out an extra ticket for the ball. "But why..." he murmured before looking to Seth.

"And what's that thing on your head?"

"It's a discarded mackerel can that gained magical powers as time passed."

This time, both Li and Yugi flopped from their seats. "Might be a message of awareness if they decided to put in a can of mackerel into a fairy tale." Sakura murmured. "Probably." Diamond agreed.

* * *

Back outside, the smog grew more, now started to cover over the gymnasium, slipping in through every avaliable opening. As it slipping through a barred window, the bars were started to be eaten away as if the smog itself was acid.

* * *

"Enter the Prince!" A voice cried as the spotlight landed on Yuko who played the part of the prince. Others cheered as she came onto the stage and she held up her hands to silence them. "As you all know, I held this ball in hope of picking my bride from these lovely maidens." she spoke before looking offstage as Aqua walked in, wearing a pretty dress of bluish-silver, hair tied back with a silver ribbon and a diamond studded tiara resting upon his head.

He grumbled slightly to himself as he walked across the stage before stopping in front of Yoko. She was silent for a moment before Aqua whispered to her to speak her lines and she nodded as she did so, asking him to dance. They did so and still unnoticed the all, the smog continued to seep into the gymnasium, now making its way underneath the stage.

"This is a weird play." Yugi and Li murmured before facing each other. With a huff, both turned away. "At least its enjoyable and a bit funny, too." Sakura said. Yugi nodded in agreement before becoming alert as an unfamiliar presence appeared in the gymnasium. Li was at alert too as he started looking around. Diamond looked down to Yugi. "Is something wrong?" she asked and he nodded. "Something doesn't feel right..." he whispered.

Aqua and Yoko continued the short waltz on stage before the scenery changed, both now standing on top of a balcony. "Cinderella, please. Don't go home just yet."

"But I must. I have to make ramen for my family."

"But I don't want you to go." Yoko replied, grasping his hand. "I want you to become my wife." Aqua looked away. "But I cannot. The can of mackerel told me I must be home by midnight." Below, two students were fanning mist of dry ice to give the scene more effect but it wasn't long before the mysterious smog that enter the school started to seep onto the stage, only seen by Li and Yugi who gasped when the smog ate away at the pillars holding the balcony up. Aqua looked down in surprise.

_'Shit!'_ he thought as the balcony broke apart, Yoko being flung off but with quick reflexes, Aqua was able to grab her before she could take a nasty fall from that height. _'Another card is here.'_ He looked over into the audience where Yugi sat. _'Yugi, hurry before this entire thing collapses. I can't risk showing anything of my form to you just yet.'_

The smog started eating away at one of the ropes, causing it to snap and the curtain fell, making everyone, students and adults alike, worry about what was going on to cause the scenery to break just like that. Yugi and Li stood quickly. "It's a Clow card! We have to do something!" Yugi said.

"But we can't do anything in front of these people! We have to get out of sight!" Li spoke. Yugi looked around before spotting the studio above the stage. "Come on." Yugi called as he ran off to the nearby door leading to backstage and Li followed. "Yugi! Li!" Sakura called. "Must be a Clow card. We best leave them to this since that looks like it might not be a good idea to be around until its sealed away." Diamond said and Sakura nodded, hoping for the best.

* * *

Back home, Kero was in tears as he finished watching a movie. He munched on a cracker before placing it down as he picked up the cell that started to ring beside him. "Yeah?"

/Kero! Something's going on at the fair!/ Yugi cried and Kero listened to what was going on intensively before gasping in horror.

"It's the Mist card! The mist will rot anything it touches! If you don't seal it away quickly, the footing under Aqua and the girl will collapse!" he told him and Yugi gasped as he and Li stopped before the window.

* * *

"What can we do to seal it? Mist is everywhere." Yugi said.

/If you had a way to wrap it up, you can capture it./ Kero explained. "Wrap it up? How are we going to do that?" Yugi questioned as he looked over to Li. Down on the stage, Seth couldn't deny standing back while the fixture was on its last legs, literally, and ran up the stairs in hopes to reach Aqua and Yoko in time but the Mist rotted more of the footing, causing the stairs to collapse and he gasped, looking up to the two trapped there worriedly. Another pillar broke under the rot it was suffering from because of the mist, almost causing Aqua to lose his grip on Yoko.

"Aqua, please! You'll fall too if you don't let me go! I'll be fine if I fall from this height!" she cried.

"I can't!" he growled.

"Wrap...wrap...how can I wrap up something like this..." Yugi mumbled before getting and idea and prayed it will work. Releasing the Sealing Staff, he brought out the card of his choice. "Shadow, wrap up all the mist within yourself! Shadow!" he called, tapping the card and soon, the mass of black shadows shot out through the window of the studio, covering the floor before shooting up to wrap around the mass of mist that was covering the stage. When all the mist was contained, Yugi readied himself to capture the card.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow card!"

Tapping the air before him, the Mist was captured and the card shot up through the bubble of shadows and into Yugi's hand. He gave a sigh of relief before a cry was heard, causing both he and Li to look out to see the footing breaking apart. "Aqua!" Yugi cried.

Aqua grabbed a hold of Yoko who had her eyes shut tightly. _'Hopefully people will think of this as a trick of the light.'_ he thought as he summoned his power, sending a gust of invisible wind down at the stage, slowing their descent until he landed on his feet, giving a deep sigh before looking down to Yoko. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She looked up and seeing they were on safe ground again, she nodded. The students ran over, the girls checking on Yoko while Seth and the other asked about what happened. Li watched Aqua, eyes narrowed. _'I knew it...there's something about him and I bet he knows something about the dragon that always accompanies Yugi.'_ he thought.

Now that the danger passed, Li and Yugi left the studio, not noticing that Aqua watched as they left, smiling in pride that Yugi was able to claim the card.

As night rolled in, all the student were gathered outside where a bonfire awaited all that participated in the fair. One of the students was doing a mic test while Yugi stood with his friends and Li. "Darn. Now I wish I came with you when you captured that card." Diamond muttered. Yugi gave a light chuckle before looking over to Li. "And thanks for helping Aqua and the girl."

"I didn't." he muttered.

"Wait...you didn't?"

"No."

"Then how..." Yugi watched as Li was about to walk off. "Try keeping a closer eye on your newer friends." Li whispered, leaving Yugi baffled, before looking up as Seth came their way and paused in his leaving. "Hi, Seth."

"Hey there, Yugi." Seth greeted as he stopped before them. "You...you were good as the can of mackerel." Li mumbled and Seth smiled. "Thanks."

"So, where's Aqua?"

"He got pulled aside but he said he'll be by soon." Seth answered.

* * *

Where Aqua was, he was standing beside Yoko on the school roof. "So, what did you need me for?"

"Well...I had something to tell you, Aqua. I...I love you. I did ever since you first transferred here."

"I see. I'm honored but..." he started, rubbing his arm lightly. Yoko nodded. "I see. You like someone else, don't you?" Aqua nodded as he looked back to her. "I thought so. I should've know I wasn't going to have a chance with you but it's nice getting the chance to meet with you." she whispered before looking down, seeing the bonfire was up and ready. "Well, the bonfire's lit. We should get down there." She looked over to Aqua once again. "And...could you do me this one little favor."

"What is it?"

"Dance with me."

He smiled and nodded before both walked downstairs to join the festivities. When the partner dance started up, Aqua was in the circle of students, dancing along quietly with Yoko. When they were ready to switch partners, Yoko thanked him but was confused as he started to walk off. "Wait, where are you going?"

He looked back and smiled. "I only promise a dance to you, Yoko-chan." he said before he walked along over to where Yugi and the other waited. Yoko smiled, chuckling softly. _'Whoever your hearts yearns for, I hope they accept it.'_ she thought. "Hi, Aqua." Yugi greeted and he waved to them. "Hey, everyone." he greeted, sending a dark look over to Li, who returned it, before looking back down to Yugi. "So, did you all have fun?"

"Yep! Oh, and you did pretty well in the play, Aqua." Yugi said.

Aqua gave a snort before looking up to Seth. "You told them, didn't you?" Seth nodded and Aqua pouted before chuckling. "Well, glad you all enjoyed it. Too bad we couldn't end it before that odd thing happened." he said. "Yeah. That really ruined it." Seth spoke before looking down to Sakura. "Care to dance with me?"

"Sure!" Sakura took his outstretched hand and was whisked off to join the group still dancing around the bonfire, leaving Li to gape as he watched them. Aqua snickered. "Guess you lucked out, kid." Aqua teased before taking Yugi's hand and joined along with them. And with that, they continued to enjoy the last few minutes of the fair, Li watching with a pout and seething as he watched Sakura and Seth dance, Diamond recording everything and smiling all the while and once the fair was over, they all gathered up and headed home, glad to have enjoyed the fair for its worth even with the near accident that almost happened thanks to the Mist card.

* * *

Zypher: And there. That's the end of this chapter for today. Hope you like and I'll see you soon with another chapter. -waves- Night!


	15. Fight Between Captor and Guardian

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 15

* * *

From a safe distance, Diamond was recording as Yugi worked with Yami to catch the next card. Of course, this proved to be hard since the Storm, as its name implied, was causing a huge storm, complete with the swirling funnel of wind where the card was hiding. Yugi's outfit this time consisted of a witch-like theme. The cape and hat were a shade of sapphire with a ruby lining on the inside while the shirt and pants underneath were a solid black. Yugi yelped as he lost his footing but Yami caught the collar of his cape and held him close as he started heading toward the whirlwind that was Storm.

"We can't get any closer, Yami!"

/Yes we can!/ he replied, determined as he dug his claws into the ground for traction as he tried to get close enough for Yugi to do something about Storm. But the winds howled around him as the ferocity increased and he was sent flying back. With a snarl, he reached out, grabbing onto the trunk of a nearby tree, digging his claws into it as they nearly sailed by it. They looked up when they saw Li pushing through the high winds and Kero yelled for him to stop for it was too dangerous to advance any closer to it. But he didn't listen as he got as close as he could before he went flying into the air, circling around the funnel. Li took a moment to concentrate, not letting the store deter him. "Thunder god, answer my call." he whispered before shooting a bolt of lightning into the eye of the storm, knocking out Storm and ending the dangerous wave of weather.

Yami climbed away from the tree, placing Yugi down. /Go ahead and do what you need to do./ He nodded and ran over to where Storm lied and brought out his staff. "Return to the guise you meant to be, Clow Card!" He tapped the staff against the wisp of smoke and soon, it was sucked into the image of the card before floating down with the Storm's name and picture on it. He reached down to grab it but it floated away, landing in Li's hand. /I'm sorry, Yugi, but even I had to say that he did reveal the card's true form so he has ownership of it./ Yami whispered as he walked over. "Oh yeah...I forgot about that happening...I'm sorry I couldn't get it."

/Do not blame yourself. We tried and Storm is a powerful adversary./ Yami spoke.

"It's not that. He just isn't worth it to collect the cards. He has too little power." Li said as he walked off. Yami growled before spitting out a little flame at Li's behind, smirking as he watched the other jump and run, trying to pat out the flames. /Serves you right, you little brat./ Diamond walked over and patted Yugi's shoulder lightly. "Tough luck, Yugi. But I'm sure we'll get the next one no problem." Yugi nodded, laughing forced as he walked off. Kero floated down beside her. "I guess the inner turmoil can't be hidden..." he murmured before they both flinched as Yugi fell into the puddle he accidentally walked into, having gotten his boot stuck in the mud.

/Up you go, little captor./ Yami cooed, flying over to them and grab Yugi in his claws before lowering his tail for Diamond to grab on and took her home before heading back to Yugi's, Kero right behind them.

* * *

Hanging the outfit to drip dry, Yugi sighed before moving to sit down on the bed. "Man, this was a horrible card capture. I could barely do anything." he murmured. /Don't say such a thing, little one./ Yami walked over to the edge of the bed, sitting down before looking over to Kero. /What are you doing over there?/ he called but Kero only hummed, still in the same position he was on. Yugi, curious, walked over to him. "Kero?" Another hum of concentration. "Hey, Kero?" Same result as before. Yugi grumbled something to himself before hollering Kero's name, bringing him back to earth. Shaking from the yell that shattered his concentration he grumbled, slamming his fist on the desk before turning to Yugi.

"What's with all the hollering? Here I am trying to think of a way to defeat that brat!"

"Well, you didn't say anything so how should I know what you were up to?" he growled before sighing. "But I'm sorry. So, did you figure out a way?"

"Way?" Kero blinked and cocked his head a few times. "I forgot..."

/Well, that goes to show how much help you are.../ Yami murmured before he had a tiny fuzzball in his face. "Well, I don't see **_you _**helping in the slightest!"

"Stop yelling at him, Kero!" Yugi said. "Besides, I asked hoping that you had an answer!"

"Well I would have but your moronic voice made me forget!"

"My voice doesn't sound moronic!"

"It did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!" Both were in each other faces before turning their back to one another. "I need a setting where I can calm down. Somewhere where I can relax and have no interruptions from Yugi." Kero spoke, arms crossed. "I'm not interrupting anything." Yugi replied.

"You are!"

"Am not!"

"When I say you are, you are!"

"Am not!" Yugi hissed before walking off, petting Yami's head. "Sorry you have to hear this. Why don't you go ahead and leave for tonight. I need to get to bed and away from a certain someone." Yami nodded, lowering his head to nuzzle Yugi. /Don't let this get out of hand, alright?/ he said before leaving out the skylight when Yugi opened the window for him. When he was gone, he closed the window and turned off the lights before heading to bed. "Good night!" Kero looked to him before huffing. "And I had a really good idea too." he murmured before getting to work on another thing he had in mind.

* * *

Downstairs, Fujitaka was making breakfast while Sugoroku was reading the paper. Upstairs, Yugi woke and yawned as he got up and opened the window to let in some air. "I feel much better after a good night's sleep." he murmured before looking around for Kero. "Hey, Kero, where are you? I'm not angry anymore for what happened yesterday." he said but didn't find him yet. "Over here." Kero called and Yugi looked around. "Where?"

"Over here." Yugi looked down to the desk and Kero pushed opened a drawer, smiling as he looked to Yugi. "Kero, what are you doing in..." He stopped when he saw exactly what Kero did in the drawer. "Isn't it great? I thought about it last night?" Kero said, smiling at his handiwork. "But...what happened to all the stuff I had in there?"

"Oh, that stuff?" Kero pointed over to the mound of stuff that was sitting under the desk. "I shoved it all there." he replied. All traces of anger that left with the night's sleep came back as Yugi growled, taking the drawer and dumped out everything onto the ground, including Kero before placing the drawer back and putting everything that was his back in the drawer. "W-what are you doing?" Kero demanded. "You made a complete mess of my drawer! I had important stuff in here!" Yugi said as he started putting things back where they belonged. "I labored making that room, you beast!" Yugi looked up to Kero in shock before getting angry. "What was that!"

"You heard me! If not a beast, a monster!"

"Hey, that's not true!"

"Yes it is! Monster Yugi! Monster Yugi! Monster Yugi!"

From downstairs, Fujitaka was setting the table before flinching when he heard thumps from upstairs, so loud that it rattled the dishes on the table. "Well, Yugi's awake and angry about something." Sugoroku murmured. "I suppose so..." Fujitaka whispered as he looked up to see Yugi walking downstairs, anger leaving him in waves."I'm heading to school now!" he grumbled as he headed for the door. "Um...sure." Fujitaka replied before sighing as he heard the door slam shut. "Guess I'll put Yugi's breakfast in the fridge for him to eat when he gets home."

* * *

"Oh, so that's what happened. No wonder you were so cross this morning, Yugi." Sakura said as Yugi explained to her about his morning. "Yeah. I can't believe he would do that." he murmured as he looked to her. "I had letters from you before you moved and I didn't want them getting all ruined." Sakura smiled. "Well, that's nice to know you kept them, Yugi, but still, you might want to think about apologizing to Kero." she said before the teacher walked in and she headed back to her seat. Yugi sighed as he looked out the window, thinking about whether he should apologize or not. _'I mean, it wasn't my fault...he should've asked at least before making a room out of my drawer and tossed my stuff out like it was cheap trash...'_ he thought.

Back at the house, Kero was still angry himself, writing in one of Yugi's notebook at how much of a moron the child was before tossing the marker and flew out the room, knowing that Fujitaka and Sugoroku were gone by now. As he made his way into the living room, he saw a package sitting on the table and landed, looking to it. "What's this? Is it a gift from someone?" he inquired to himself. "I wonder if it's food?" he murmured as he looked ready to open the package but turned away. "Oh yeah, I shouldn't. I'll be scolded by Yugi." he muttered before remembering a key thought. "Wait, I'm mad too! I shouldn't care what he thinks!" he said before turning back to the box and tore off the paper and removed the lid without looking at it, looking at the bottle shaped candies in wonder.

"What are they?" He picked one up and sniffed it lightly before his face lit up. "Chocolate!" he exclaimed happily as he tore of the wrapping and took a bite of it. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

Back at school, they were on break and Yugi sat outside with Sakura and Ryou. "Well, I know Kero anted privacy but I'm sure he meant no harm." Ryou spoke.

"I know but he called me a monster. Monster Yugi. That was a little harsh." he murmured, chin resting in his hand.

"Well, even if you were a monster, you are the cutest one I ever did see." A voice said and Yugi looked up to see Aqua standing there. "So what's all this hub-bub about monsters, Yugi?" he questioned. Yugi blushed a little before shaking his head. "It's nothing. Just a little argument I had with someone this morning." Aqua nodded. "I see. Well hopefully you'll get everything resolved soon. Wouldn't want to see your pretty face scrunched up in anger even though it just makes you even more adorable." Yugi blushed even more, causing Ryou and Sakura to laugh and getting a chuckle out of Aqua before the bell rung and they all headed back to their classes.

* * *

"These chocolates are pretty good." Kero slurred, tearing off the wrapping to another and munched into it. "Yummy!" he said giving a little hiccup as he finished the chocolate. Later on, Yugi returned home and noted no one was home before seeing the disaster that was the living room. "Oh, Kero! Only you would leave such a mess after eating." he muttered as he picked up the lid that was to the box. "Brandy chocolate? Oh man, and he ate these? I'm sure even a guardian wouldn't have a tolerance for these." he whispered before feeling a breeze and looked over to the window, seeing it was open and chocolate pawprints leading outside. He sighed before cleaning up the mess before his father and grandfather got home.

Later on that night, they ate dinner with little disruptions and Yugi sighed as he finished his food. "Thanks. That was good." he said before gathering his dishes to put into the sink. "Hey, Yugi. Do you happen to know where the package that was here went to? It had chocolates in it." Fujitaka spoke and Yugi shook his head as he went upstairs, saying goodnight to them both before entering his room. He saw the notebook and sighed. "Sheesh Kero..." he muttered, tearing out the pages and tossed them before sitting down in the chair by his desk.

"Where could you have gone?"

* * *

In an area unknown to him, Kero fluttered before a little statuette of an alligator that was for a store, drunk from the chocolates but in his state, he couldn't really comprehend that. "So, you see, I'm really Keroberos, the guardian of a book. Even on rainy days--" He gave a little hiccup. "And gusty days--man, I had a lot of tough times to deal with." he whined. "You're the only one that listens to me, mister." he murmured before yawning and lying himself across the snout of the statuette. "Hey, mister, do you know of a place to sleep, I'm getting rather tired." He looked down, setting the alligator pointing and following it to where an old couch with pillow on it sat. "Hey a bed! That's great!" he said as he got up, fluttering over to it and landed, waving to the statuette.

"Thanks, mister!" he called before making himself comfortable, pulling an old pillow over him before falling asleep. When morning rose, a little girl was bringing out the trash before looking to the couch, seeing Kero's tail stick out and grabbed it, pulling him from the trashed couch. He was still sleeping away as this happened so he never noted that he was taken back inside by the little girl and placed into a carriage. "Yugi, you moron." he mumbled, kicking off the blankets before opening his eyes, blinking a couple of times before looking around, not recognizing his surroundings. "Wait, where am I?" He looked to the door when he heard it open and a little girl walked in with a dish in her hands.

"Are you awake? It's time for breakfast." she said, smiling as she walked over to the little table in her room and set the dish down before looking back to Kero. "What's your name?" she asked before taking a spoonful of milk and held it out to Kero. "Here." Kero only looked uneasy, still a little bewildered of what was going on. "You don't like milk? You're a cat right?" she asked again. "Chau..." he muttered before covering his mouth. _'Oh no, I spoke!'_ The girl blinked as she put the spoon back into the dish and clapped happily. "That's a funny meow! So, your name is Chau?" Kero looked away from her, saying no once again but all the little girl heard was Chau and she smiled brightly again.

"So your name is Chau!"

"Akane, could you help me out a bit!" A voice called form downstairs. "Ok, mama!" she replied before looking to Kero once more. "You just wait here, Chau. I'll be back." she said before getting up and went downstairs to see her mother. Kero sighed, leaning against the edge of the carriage. "Chau...I was saying no..." he murmured.

* * *

Yugi sighed as he looked out the window that he left open all night just in case Kero came back during the night but to no luck. _'I left the window open for him but there's still no sign of him. Oh, Kero, you better now have gotten yourself caught with the wrong people.'_ Yugi thought solemnly before getting dressed for school and headed downstairs. Aqua and Jou were there for the usual, to get a free breakfast before they headed off for school themselves. Aqua looked up when he saw Yugi coming down, looking as bummed as ever. "Is something wrong, Yugi?"

"It's nothing." he mumbled in reply.

"What's that?"

"It's nothing! I'm alright." he said, looking to Aqua. He nodded and smiled, patting Yugi's head lightly before hearing Jou calling him. "Well, I need to get going. Talk to you later, Yugi." he said before heading to the door to meet with Jou. They left and Yugi smiled at the reassurance he got from Aqua, even if it was just a pat on the head.

* * *

After contemplating his next move, Kero decided to go along with the guise of acting like a cat while around Akane. Getting hungry, though, he fluttered out of the carriage and over to the table where the bowl sat and start to eat. "Ah, I'm so thirsty! This milk is great!" he murmured before looking up as he heard voices.

"Then I'm going now."

"Take care!" Akane called as she headed back up to her room and opened. "Chau, did you eat well?" she asked as she walked over and saw that Kero finished up the milk. "Wonderful." She patted Kero's head fondly. "Good, good boy. While mama's out working...I, Akane, will take care of you, Chau." Kero was silent but let his thoughts wander. _'So her name's Akane...such a little girl staying here by herself.'_ he thought. "Chau, you're face is a little dirty." she spoke and Kero flinched, thinking that something bad was about to happen. Taking him gently in her hand, Akane headed off to the bathroom, running a bath for Kero in the sink and poured some bubble bath in it. Once it was ready, she placed Kero into the sink and started washing him. He struggled a bit and she pouted. "Hold still. I'm trying to clean you up!"

_'But this water...wash me properly in hot water!'_ Kero complained within his mind.

After Akane finished washing him, she placed him off to the side and grabbed a blow-dryer and started drying him off. When she was done, she smiled as she set the blow-dryer off to the side. "There! All done!" she said, smiling again before hopping off her chair. "I'll go get a ribbon for you! Wait right there!" She walked off and Kero sighed softly. _'Where is this? I need to do something and fast...really...'_ he thought before looking up to a picture that sat there. It was a picture of Akane with a man that he didn't recognize. "That my papa. He's in Heaven." Akane spoke as she came back in, seeing Kero looking at the picture. He turned to look to her. "I was told that papa was in a place called Heaven. Meanwhile, I'm staying here at home." she added, tying the ribbon around Kero's neck just as the phone rang. "Hai, hai!" She ran over to the phone and answered it.

"Oh mama...yes, it's Akane...yes...yes, I understand. Do well with your work. Yeah! Ja ne!" She hung up the phone and walked back over to Kero, picking him up before heading into the living room to watch some TV. On the channel they were watching, it was a drama movie of a girl who was reunited with her father. Kero watched quietly but as he heard soft sniffles, he looked up to Akane and saw she was about to cry. He knew that if she started, he wouldn't be able to get her to stop easily and surely couldn't give words of comfort in the predicament he's already in. So quickly, he hit the power button, turning off the TV and she looked down to Kero in surprise.

"Chau?"

_'Think of something quickly....'_ he thought before hopping up on the table where the TV sat and started to do a little dance. Akane watched him for a moment before a smile appeared on her face as she laughed and Kero was glad for the distraction pulling her attention away.

* * *

"You really think Kero ran away from home?" Diamond asked as they walked home.

"Well, he hasn't come back. Maybe he was really angry that I yelled at him so much." Yugi murmured. Diamond shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think he regrets having that argument with you as much as you did." Yugi looked to her before nodding, smiling softly. "I know, how about we go out and look for him?" Ryou suggested and Yugi nodded. After they headed home to change out of their uniforms and met up again, they went into the city to see about looking for Kero anywhere. "I think we chose a bad spot. The city is huge and trying to find a tiny guardian is like finding a needle in a haystack." Yugi murmured as they split up.

"Now where should I look?" Yugi muttered, looking in a trash bin, never noticing Seth stopping. "Hey, Yugi, what are you up to?" Said person yelped, slamming the lid shut before turning to see Seth there. "N-nothing, Seth! I'll just be on my way!" he said before dashing off, Seth watching as he left before he continued on. Yugi sighed as he met up with Sakura. "Ok, that was the last thing I'm wanted Seth to see me doing." he mumbled before looking to Sakura. "And if anything, we're not going to find Kero that way either." she murmured, pointing up to a lost pet sign that was posted to the light pole. Yugi sighed before rounding up everyone and headed home. "I'm home..." Yugi called as he walked in before looking up, surprised to see Aqua there.

"Aqua? Why are you here?"

Aqua turned to him and smiled. "I decided to come over and help out with dinner. Your father didn't mind." Yugi nodded. "I see...but wait, it was my turn to make dinner tonight, though." Aqua chuckled. "I wanted to make something special for you. Seth called me. Said he was a little worried about you when he saw you today." he said. Yugi looked down and Aqua reached to lift his head back up. "Now, now. No more of that. Now why don't you clean up and get ready. I'll be done in a little while." Yugi nodded, smiling to him. "Thanks, Aqua!" he said before hearing the phone ring and went to go get it.

"Hurry, hurry...." Kero whispered, sending a fax to Yugi while Akane's was focused on something else, giving him enough time to send the fax before she turned around.

Yugi gasped when he saw the fax and smiled softly as he ripped it out and read it. "Who was that, Yugi?" Aqua asked. "Oh, just a friend!" he called, heading upstairs to call Diamond and tell her the good news. "Kero contacted you? That's wonderful news!" she said.

"Yeah, I know. It was just a fax but it was Kero's handwriting."

Diamond nodded from her end. /Do you know where the fax was sent from?/ she asked. Yugi looked around on the paper for it before Diamond directed him to the top of the page where there was info about the fax. He nodded and told her what she need to know and pulling out a laptop, she type in the information, pulling up a map of the Domino area and centered in on the numbers that Yugi gave to her. /A little vague but with a little help, I think we can find where Kero is./ she spoke.

* * *

Back at Akane's, Kero was watching the weather forecast while Akane was taking down the laundry that was hanging outside._ 'Sheesh, I need t get back to Yugi's...but I can't leave her here all alone...'_ he thought, giving a sigh, unconsciously flapping his wings and did know he was a few feet of the ground until Akane squealed. "Chau, you can fly?" she exclaimed and he gasped before trying to brush it off as nothing but that didn't fool her as she plopped down beside him. "You're amazing, Chau. I want to fly too. Then, I could go and see papa in Heaven." she murmured, smiling softy, although Kero knew that she couldn't see him even if she could fly but kept that thought to himself. _'Though I don't blame her for wanting to see someone she misses terribly.'_ he thought, looking to her before gasping softly when he saw the things gathered in the room starting to float. Akane saw this as well, amazed by it before she too started to float.

Happy as ever, she started flapping her arms as if she were truly flying, floating out the window. "See, I can fly too!" she said happily. _'No, she isn't! But what could be the cause of this?'_ Kero thought as he flew out the window himself, looking around before seeing the faint appearance of a giant ball with wings. 'That's...a Clow card!'

"Chau! Come over here!" she called, catching his attention once more but soon, a gust of wind blew, causing Akane to go flying along with the card. Kero gasped before dashing off himself. "Akane! I'm coming!" he called, flying as quickly as his tiny wings could. _'It's the Float card, isn't it! Give Akane back!'_ He continued to fly after her, Float carrying her farther and farther away but he didn't give up, at least, until he start to run low on energy. "Oh no...I'm going to fall!" Unable to flap no more, he plummeted through the air and the thought that would be the end of him until he landed on something soft. He looked up and saw that he landed on Yami's snout.

"Yami..." He looked to his back to see Yugi there. "Yugi...how did you know where I was?"

/Diamond helped and learned of the area you were in thanks to the fax you sent. Be happy we got here on time./ Yami spoke before looking up to where Akane was. /A card, I take it?/

"Yes! It's Float! We have to stop it now before she gets hurt!" Kero said and Yami nodded before flying towards her. Yugi prepared himself before swinging the staff. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" Float tried to resist being returned but soon lost the fight as it was transformed back into a card and Yugi caught it before getting ready to catch the falling Akane. He reached out for her but an unexpected gust of wind threw Yami off, causing him to rear back slightly which resulted in Yugi missing the grab for Akane. "Akane!" Kero cried as he dived from Yami's snout, shooting down for her. He got underneath her and tried to hold her weight but that proved to be futile with his small stature.

"I-I can't hold onto her!" he cried as they both started plummeting. A roar was heard as Yami shot down as well, Yugi holding onto his fur tightly as he went after Kero and Akane. Soon, he reached out, grabbing onto Akane and continued his descent before landing, placing the little girl gently on the ground as Yugi hopped off his back and Yami ducked back into the cover of the skies as Akane started to wake. "Mama..." she murmured before looking down, seeing Kero in her lap and she smiled softly. "Chau..." Kero looked back up to her and smiled and she gave the tiny guardian a hug, Yugi watching from afar and smiled himself.

* * *

Back in front of Akane's home a few days later, a moving truck was there, packing everything away for the move. Akane held Kero in her arms before she walked over to Yugi and Ryou who were there to pick him up. "Mister, are you going to take good care of Chau?" she asked and Yugi nodded. Akane looked down to Kero before handing him to Yugi and he took him in his hands. "Take good care of him! I won't be able to take him with me to my new house so make sure he is taken care of well!"

"Of course. I'll make sure to take good care of Ke--I mean Chau." he replied. "And when you're lonely, you can come and visit him." Akane smiled to him.

"But I'll always be with mama now, so I won't be lonely anymore!" she said happily.

"Akane!" Her mother called. "Coming!" She smiled to them again before running off. "See ya!" she called before climbing into the truck with her mother and soon, they were gone down the street. "Akane's mother changing jobs so she can be with her more..." Kero murmured, looking up as Akane peeked out the window, saying her final goodbyes to Kero before they were out of sight. Yugi watched them go as Yami landed, looking down to Yugi despite his usual blindness in the sunlight. /Ready to go?/ he asked and Yugi nodded even though Kero complained that he was still a little cross about returning. A glare from Yami shut him up as Ryou and Yugi climbed on his back. He took off, dropping of Ryou first before taking Yugi home.

When they got there, Kero and Yugi slipped in through the window before Yami followed, deciding to stay for a little while. "Here, I made something for you." he said as he pulled a drawer out and inside was a miniature room for Kero. "Wow, you made this?" Yugi chuckled softly. "Yeah but I had a little help from Aqua." he replied. "It is alright for you, isn't it?"

Kero nodded as he flew in, bouncing on the bed. "I like it, especially this bed! It's pretty..." But before he could finish it, it broke underneath him. "Kero! That took a while for me to make!"

"Oh really? Well it was poorly made!" he shot back.

"Oh yeah! It probably broke under your weight!"

"I'm not fat! Maybe you're just bad at this kind of thing!" The argument continued anew and Yami sighed. _'Well, at least they're together again. That's what matters most. Kero better stick with his guardian duties like he should be...'_ he thought as he looked to the two before deciding he better intervene before something happened.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. Done with another long awaited chapter. Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you later with another chapter to another story. -waves-


	16. Rainbow of Memories

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 16

* * *

It was another sunny day as the Motou family along with Seth and Jou were making their way to a country home in the forest. Yugi smiled brightly as they traveled, looking to the peaceful scenery. He looked up to the clear skies, faintly seeing the dancing shadow in the sky, indicating that Yami followed along for the trip. "Here." Seth said as he handed Yugi a can of tea. "Thanks, Seth." He smiled before looking to the bag that was sitting by Yugi's side. "You sure you didn't want that placed into the trunk?" he asked and he shook his head.

"No, it's alright. It's a small bag."

Fujitaka chuckled from the front seat before looking over to Jou. "How much farther do we have?" He looked up to him. "About 9 kilometers." he replied as he looked at the path marked on the map. Yugi looked out the window once more. "I've never been to a country home before. This'll be great." Seth nodded. "Me too. I'm sure I'll enjoy myself there. It's too bad Aqua was busy at the time to join us." Yugi nodded as he looked over to Seth. "Yeah." He turned back up to where Yami was. 'But at least he came so it'll make the trip more enjoyable.' Seth leaned back against his seat as he took a sip of his drink. "I actually feel bad intruding on a family outing." Jou laughed softly as he looked back to him. "You're not intruding at all. Fujitaka didn't mind us coming along." The older man nodded in agreement.

"Yep. I don't mind at all. Since Yugi's jii-chan was busy with his shop, I let him invite you two to come along." he said. "Besides, you watch over Jou like he was your own brother and I'm sure he appreciates having you around." Jou blushed as little and buried himself into the map and Fujitaka chuckled. "You know, one day we should stop by and meet your folks, Seth."

"No need to, really. I live with my jii-chan and obaa-san. They get up and head to bed early." Jou looked back up once the blush was off his face and pointed to a side road. "Turn left there, Motou-san." He nodded as he pulled into the road and after a while longer, they came up to the country home they would be staying in. Everyone climbed out of the car and Yugi stretched a little while Fujitaka, Seth and Jou helped with the unpacking. "Wow, that was a long car ride." he murmured before looking up, seeing Yami circle around for a bit before landing somewhere in the surrounding forest. He took a look at the house and smiled brightly before looking over to his otou-san. "So they really letting us rent the place?" He nodded as he took a box out from the car.

"Yes. Usually they would stay here for the summer but they decided to spend their summer overseas." he explained and Yugi nodded before stepping up to the house and opened the door. He was in awe at the cozy feeling the house gave and stepped inside, looking around. He placed the bag down before taking out a picture and set it on the counter, stepping back and smiling at the photo of his mother. "We're going to be staying here for two days. I'm sure it will be great, kaa-san." he whispered before heading upstairs to his room. When he opened the door, he smiled and stepped inside, tossing the bag onto the bed as he looked around, moving over to open the window.

"Hey! Did you forget who's in here!" A voice cried and Yugi winced before moving back and opened the case to an irate guardian fluttering in his face. "I'm sorry, alright? The room was just wonderful and..." He lost Kero as the guardian started exploring the room.

"Yeah, you're right. It is kinda neat." he said before looking back to him. "That doesn't mean toss me around though!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"I forgive you but you owe me dessert tonight."

/Being a mooch again, Kero?/ Yami whispered as he slipped in through the window. "Hey! When did you get here!" he questioned hotly. /If you had noticed, I was following the car./ he answered as he looked around the room. /Quite nice. I would love to stay but wouldn't want to be trapped in a room so I shall accommodate a better form. I'll see you outside later, Yugi-kun./ he said before slipping out the window again and flew off. Yugi watched him go before looking back to Kero. "You be nice to him, ok?" Kero huffed as he crossed his arms and nodded.

"Fine."

Downstairs, Fujitaka, Seth and Jou were checking the supplies to sustain them for the two days. "Well, we have an ample supply of fire and water. So do you all want to go shopping right now?" Fujitaka asked as he looked to them. They nodded before looking up as Yugi came downstairs. "Heading out?"

"Yes. We're about to go shopping. Would you like to come along or take a walk around before dinner?" Seth asked.

"I'll take a walk." He nodded as he stood. "Alright then. We should be back soon. Oh, and there was a large house not to far from here. Why don't you go check it out?" Yugi nodded. "Sure. Where is it?"

"It was right before we crossed over the bridge." Seth answered before they all left out. "See you later, Yugi!" Yugi waved as he watched them leave before looking up to the stairs. "Kero, come on down! We're going out for a bit!" he called.

"Ok!" The guardian answered as he flew down and left out with Yugi. Before they stepped off the patio, they heard barking and a pure black Border Collie came running up to them. Yugi smiled as he knelt down to pet the dog before seeing something familiar on him. "Yami, is that you?" The dog nodded. /Just think of me as part of the neighborhood so your otou-san and friends won't get suspicious./ he nodded with a small laugh before standing. "Then you can come along with us. We're going for a walk."

/Sounds wonderful. Lead the way, little one./

They soon walked off and started exploring the countryside. "A good breath of fresh air is what I needed after being in that bag for so long." Kero murmured and Yugi nodded in agreement. They headed over the bridge and through the forest, taking in the scenery before they came up to the house that Seth mentioned. "Whoa...it's huge!" Kero exclaimed. They walked past it, looking at the garden. "This reminds me a lot of Alice's garden."

"Alice's garden?"

"Yeah, from the book _Alice in Wonderland_. I read that book before." Yugi explained and Yami nodded. /Ah yes, the story from England if I remember right./ Yugi chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah. You sure do know a lot." he said as he stepped into the garden and looked around a little.

"Good sir..." A voice called from the veranda, making him jump a little and Kero ducking away to hide himself. "You are a charming boy. Are you lost?" the older man who was standing on the veranda asked. "No. Not at all. I was just taking a walk with my friend here." he said as he patted Yami's head lightly. "I see. Where are you from?"

"From the country house over there."

"Oh. Doesn't the family there have a little girl about your age?"

"No. They headed overseas for the summer." The elder nodded and smiled. "Well you're not too busy, are you?" Yugi shook his head. "Then why don't you and your friend come up for some tea and treats." He looked down to Yami and he nodded before the two headed up the stairs. As he stepped up, he saw the table set with two cups of tea and off on the floor was a dish with another tea cake and some water for Yami. The man pulled out a seat for Yugi and smiled. "Here you go." Yugi thanked him and sat down before eating and talking with the elder late into the day. Once the sun was setting, he excused himself and thanked him for the tea before heading back with Yami and Kero who started to complain that he couldn't have any of the treats. He greeted his otou-san, Seth and Jou when he got back and introduced Yami to them before setting up and helping out with dinner.

"You're quite good at this, Jou." Seth said as he easily prepared the barbecue. "Yeah, working at that Korean restaurant does wonders for cooking." he answered with a chuckle. "You just work anywhere and everywhere, don't you?" Yugi said with a small laugh. Jou laughed as well as Fujitaka came out with some more food for the grill. "Well, dinner's ready so take your fill." Jou said.

"Great! Itadakimasu!" They all said before they started to eat. Seth ate his at a quick pace while Jou poured the drinks. Yugi put some strips onto a dish for Yami and set it down before taking the cups handed to him. "So how was your walk, Yugi?" Fujitaka asked as he came out the house with a plate filled with more food to cook. "It was great! I stopped by the house Seth told me about and met a nice old man there. He shared some tea with me and we talked for a bit before I came back. He said that I could come by and visit tomorrow since he's here for a while on vacation from work."

"Then you should stop by again. It's always nice to make some new friends when you're traveling." Fujitaka spoke and he nodded with a smile.

* * *

Back in Domino, Ryou and Diamond sat in their built in theater, watching some footage of Yugi's card captures along with Sakura. "Wow, he's been getting better at it, hasn't he?" she asked.

"Yep. Glad we didn't get caught in the dark from this." Diamond said with a chuckle before hearing the phone ring and picked it up. "Hello. This is Rose speaking."

/Hey Diamond! How are you and Ryou?/ Yugi asked over the phone. "Oh, Yugi! Good to hear from you. I'm doing fine. How's the countryside?"

/It's great! I love it here! And I met this really nice man who lives in a big house nearby. I had tea there and my dad said I could go see him again tomorrow. Oh you two would've liked him too if you could come./ Diamond chuckled and nodded. "I know but we had the big choir championship and Sakura wanted to come see it since she was gone and wanted to catch up with old friends." she said. Sakura leaned over. "And tell us all about it when you get home, Yugi!" she called and he laughed.

/I will! I'll talk to you tomorrow! Ja ne!/

"Ja ne, Yugi." Diamond said before hanging up and started to movie again.

* * *

Yugi placed the phone off to the side and laughed softly as Yami hopped up onto the bed and licked his cheek playfully. /Dinner was delicious, little one. Thanks for sharing some with me./

"Well of course. You're a guest here, Yami. You'll get a share too." he said, smiling softly as he patted Yami's head lightly. "Ready for bed?" Yami nodded and curled up beside Yugi. Kero came back over once he was done with his dessert. "Since you're going back to the old man's house again, you better get me some dessert too! I hate being left out on the good stuff!"

/You're just a greedy guardian, aren't you?/ Yami spoke and Kero huffed before going over to turn the lights off. "Oyasumi, Yugi."

"Oyasumi."

* * *

The next morning, Yugi got up and dressed nicely before heading out with Yami right beside him. Outside, Jou and Seth were making some drinks and Fujitaka was doing some work on his laptop. He looked up when he heard Yugi coming out and smiled. "Heading off already?"

"Hai." He nodded and handed Yugi a small wrapped bag. "Here, I baked some cookies this morning. Share some with the elderly man when you see him. Oh, and say hi for me too while you're there." he said and Yugi nodded as he took the bag and headed off. Seth smiled and waved to him. "You have a great time over there, Yugi." he said and he nodded as he left the yard and started making his way to the elderly man's house. When he got there, he stepped onto the veranda and looked around, wondering where the man was. "Good sir." He turned and looked up to see the elder on the balcony, smiling softly. "Come on up." he said before walking off and Yugi nodded.

"Come on, Yami." he whispered as he headed off for the front door. He opened the door and walked inside and was awed by the grand interior. "Wow, it's so pretty..." he whispered as he stepped inside. Over here." The elder spoke although his voice echoed throughout the quiet home. He headed up the stairs and found the man down at the other end of the hall and headed over to him. "Come on in, little one." he said and he walked inside before smiling. "Oh, it's so cute. Oh, and thank you for inviting me over again." he said as he checked out the room. "Does a little girl live here?"

"How'd you know?"

"This room has that feel for a nice little girl. If she lives here, I would love to meet her." The elderly man smiled before shaking his head. "Sadly no. She's not here anymore. A while back, she had gone to heaven." he whispered and Yugi turned to the man before frowning. "Oh, I see." he whispered. He watched him before walking over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No need to be sad. A handsome young man like you should smile and be happy." he said and Yugi looked up to him before smiling. "Now, why don't you tell me your name?"

"It's Yugi. Yugi Motou."

"Motou...?" the male murmured before nodding. "You don't mind if I call you Yugi, do you?"

"Oh not at all." he said, smiling softly. The man smiled as well. "Well, as long as you're here, you can play as long as you like." he said and Yugi nodded happily. After changing into some more comfortable clothing that the elder had, Yugi and the elder headed outside to play a round of tennis. Yugi had a delightful time practicing and playing a round with the elder, at least until the ball sailed off the course and he frowned. But the man still smiled. "How about we go and have some tea." he said and he nodded as they headed up onto the veranda where the table was set with two cold glasses of tea. _'I wonder if someone else is here...'_ Yugi thought to himself as he sat down. "You know, Yugi, when you're here, it feels like my friend is back here." the elder spoke.

"Your friend? Is she the little girl that had the room?" He nodded.

"Yes, although she wasn't as good at tennis like you are, Yugi." Yugi laughed a little, making the elder smile. "Why don't I get us some sweets?" At the word sweets, Yugi remembered the cookies. "Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you!" He said as he was about to stand but heard a bark and Yami coming up onto the veranda with the bag of cookies. He sat up and set them on the table and Yugi thanked him before looking back to the elder. "My otou-san made them for you."

"Thank you." he said as he took the bag. He opened them and looked to the cookies for a forlorn moment. "My otou-san is a wonderful cook so I'm sure you'll like them." The elder looked over to him. "So you're here with your otou-san. Tell me, what's he like?"

"Oh, he's a great man. A great cook, a college professor and a wonderful tailor." he said with a smile. Yami smiled as well, tail wagging as he barked softly. "He can crochet too. And, and..." he continued, trying to think of other things his otou-san did and the elder chuckled. "You really do love your otou-san, don't you, Yugi?" he asked and Yugi nodded. "Yep! I couldn't wish for a better otou-san." The elder smiled even more as he took a cookie and ate it before humming delightfully. "You're right. These are good."

* * *

Back at the country home, Seth and Jou sat outside. Seth dozed away in the hammock while Jou sat underneath him, reading a book. He looked over to the direction of the house where the elder lived before giving a soft sigh. "Are you worried, Jounouchi-kun?" Seth asked, surprising the other. "Huh?"

"Are you worried about Yugi?"

Jou shook his head. "No. I'm sure he can handle himself." Seth chuckled and nodded. Fujitaka was still doing work on the computer before looking up towards the house himself, smiling a little. _'I wonder of old Arthur will tell him.'_ he thought to himself before getting back to work.

* * *

They headed back inside and the elder pulled out an outfit from the closet and gave it to Yugi. "Here, try this on." he said before leaving the room. Yugi looked to it before slipping it on. It was a nice outfit consisting of simple black dress pants and a white dress shirt with an overcoat to go along with it, the edges embroidered with silver. The outfit overall had a Victorian feel to it. /You look very nice, little one./ Yami spoke just as the elder came back in and smiled. "You look quite dashing, good sir." he said.

"Does this belong to your friend?" he asked.

"Yes, it was an outfit she liked to run around in from time to time." he answered. Yugi nodded and moved over to the mirror to take a look himself and he had to agree with both. He did look quite nice in the outfit. The elder stepped over to Yugi and knelt down beside him. "You know, you remind me a lot of her, especially while wearing this outfit." he said as Yugi turned to look to him. "Can you accept this outfit?" Yugi shook his head quickly as he looked to the other. "I couldn't..." he started but the elder took his hand as he looked to him.

"Please? I'm sure it would make my friend happy." he said. Yugi looked into the elder sincere eyes before nodding. "Ok." he said and the elder smiled before standing again. Yugi took one more glance around the room, knowing that soon, he would be heading back. That's when he spotted the picture on the table and walked over. "Did your friend draw this?" he asked.

"Why yes she did. She drew it for me because she knew I loved to look at rainbows."

Yugi looked at the picture for a long moment. "It's such a gentle drawing."

"She was a gentle girl." he said. "From the veranda in this room, you could always see beautiful rainbows." Outside the room, a woman stood, listening to them as they talked.

* * *

As it got late, Yugi returned back with Yami and ate dinner before heading up to his room and told Kero about his day. "He really sounds like a nice guy." Kero said and Yugi nodded. "Yeah, he really was although he looked quite lonely there all by himself."

/Have you thought of something to give back to him for his kindness yet, little one?/ Yami asked. "I haven't yet but I've been thinking about it. He owns such a big home so giving him a material possession won't be all that great." he murmured. "Well, Yugi, do you know of something he likes?" Kero asked. Yugi thought about it before getting a thought. "That's right, he likes rainbows. He has a fondness for that drawing I saw of one."

"Rainbows? Well I think we have our gift right there." Kero said and Yami nodded. Yugi smiled and nodded. The next day which was their last day, Yugi head out once more with Yami back over to the elder's. He was outside, tending to his roses when he saw Yugi come up and smiled. "Oh, hello again." he greeted.

"Um...I hate to say it but I'll be going back home today."

"Oh, I see. Such a shame. I feel as if we're just getting to know each other really well."

"Same here but I do wish to ask of you one small favor. Go up to your friend's room and stand on the veranda for me." The elder nodded. "Of course." he said. Yugi smiled a little and with a nudge from Yami, gave the elder a hug before they walked off but Yugi stopped for a moment and looked back to him. "Sir, about your friend...I bet she went to a beautiful place up in the sky just like my kaa-san." he said. "Jou always told me that since my kaa-san was happy marrying my otou-san, she would end up in a beautiful place. So I'm sure your friend would end up being in a very beautiful place too." The elder nodded, feeling the urge to cry but held it back.

"Don't forget to head to the veranda!" Yugi called before bowing and ran off with Yami right behind him. The elder watched him go before heading inside. When Yugi got to the right spot, Kero was there waiting for him. "About time you got here. Ready?"

"Ready." he said as he brought out the Sealing Staff and the Rain card. "Rain, cross a bridge of seven colors across the sky. Rain!" he called as he tapped the card. Wisps of clouds rose up from the card and up into the sky before Rain peeked out from the cloud and smiled before she started up the rainstorm. The elder was just entering the room when he heard the rainfall.

"Rain?"

He stepped over to the doors leading out to the veranda and opened the curtains. Soon, the rain stopped and the sun appeared through the cloud and the elder gasped as he saw a rainbow across the sky. He had the feeling of nostalgia as he looked up to the rainbow.

_"Arthur-san! Arthur-san! Look, it's a rainbow!"_ A young Nadeshiko called as she pointed it out in the sky, a smile bright across her face as she wore the same Victorian suit. He still remembered that smile even though she was gone from this world.

He gave a sigh and soon heard footsteps behind him. "Arthur-san..." the woman whispered.

"I'm sorry you had to put up with me, Sonomi." Arthur whispered softly. She smiled as she came to stand next to him. "It was fine. It was like playing hide and seek. Making tea and sweets without Yugi knowing I was here. Surprising that the dog he had with him didn't sniff me out." she said. He smiled and nodded. "Yugi is a wonderful child. I'm glad I had the chance to meet him. Fujitaka Motou sounds like a good man himself."

"Well he is the partner Nadeshiko chose in the end." she said as she held the picture in hand and looked to it. "So Yugi wanted to show me this rainbow?" Arthur questioned.

"I supposed so but I wonder...how he knew about the rainbow showing up right here..." Sonomi whispered.

In the forest, Yugi rode on Yami's back and stopped him to look back to the house. "I hope he was able to see the rainbow." Kero fluttered beside him. "I'm sure he did." he answered before looking up as well. "Hey...there's someone else there with him." Yugi looked closer to the veranda and indeed saw another standing there but from his distance, he could tell who it could be. /We best go, little one. I'm sure your otou-san and friends are waiting for you and I must return home myself./ Yami spoke and he nodded before the dragon trotted off through the forest. When they got close, Yugi climbed off and said his goodbyes before watching as Yami flew off back to Domino. Making sure Kero was tucked away, he headed up to the house. "Yugi, there you are. Where have you been?" Jou questioned.

"Over the elder man's house to say goodbye." he said as he headed up onto the porch. Fujitaka looked over to him and smiled. "Welcome back. Did you finish your errand?" he asked and Yugi nodded before heading inside to clean up. "So, this elderly man, who exactly is he?" Jou asked.

"Well...over there in that large home lived a kind man and a dear friend that he liked to invite over to that very summer home to get away from the city heat." Fujitaka started, setting down the picture of Nadeshiko on top of the case sitting on the table. He smiled softly before walking off and Jou understood, smiling softly.

_'Guess a good family friend can be closer than you think.'_ he thought before he continued to help out Seth with packing everything into the car.

* * *

Zypher: Finally, FF is working! -coughs- Sorry about that, had this chpter done ages ago but FF was being mean to me and surely other writers and would let me upload it. But there you have it. A simple, easy chapter that could possibly give a lesson of how gifts don't always have to be of material value. -smiles- Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time with another chapter.


	17. Test of Courage

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 17

* * *

It was a sweltering day in Domino and Kero was stuck at home, having to deal with it. "So hot...and since no one is technically home, I can't turn on the AC..." he mumbled with a sigh. He looked to his wings and flapped them a little for some sort of comfort but moaned in despair. "That only makes it worse for the effort." he whined. He sat there just for a moment longer before he started whining again, being loud enough for Jou and Seth to hear from the other room. "Yugi isn't here, right?" Seth asked.

"Nope. He said his class was doing outdoor classes today. Must've been something that fell from his desk." Jou answered. He smiled slightly as he looked outside. "He should be at the beach about now."

* * *

After changing into his swimwear, Yugi dived out into the ocean and swam a little, smiling as he looked to all the underwater life that swam about. He resurfaced to get a breath of air when he spotted Li not to far off, standing at the mouth of a cavern. _'Now what is he up to...'_ he thought before Li turned around to spare him a glance before diving into the water himself. "Yugi!" Malik called. "Come back over! You can join us for a game of beach volleyball!" Yugi nodded before he started swimming back. His friends watched, smiling softly. "Yugi was always a great swimmer." Sakura murmured as the others nodded. "Yeah. Yugi told me he was looking forward to this." Myrrh added. Yugi soon reached the shore, chanting 'umi' to himself before he stopped before his friends. "Alright, I'm back so let's play!" he said and they laughed before nodding. They gathered in a circle and started to play but Yugi missed a shot and apologized quickly before running out to get it.

But before he could grab it, he yelped, stepping back quickly before saw it was only Marik. "Yo."

"Uh...hi..."

"You know, beach volleyball goes a long way back." Marik said, twirling the ball on his finger. "It all started by people playing on the beach with coconuts in Hawaii. And you know those things are hard and heavy right?"

"Right."

"So you know, people would be getting injured playing." Yugi winced and Malik placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "It's a lie, Yugi. Don't believe him." Yugi looked back to him with a skeptical look. "I know it sounds plausible but everything he says that sounds that way is usually a lie." Yugi blinked before looking back to Marik who was now doing various tricks. Malik's brow twitched before he dragged the other away, not taking long to bury him in the sand and taking whacks at him with the ball. Diamond laughed softly before looking out to sea. "Looks like Li is a good swimmer as well." she pointed out. "Maybe he's practicing for long distance swimming." Sakura suggested.

"Speaking of long distance swimming..." Marik started but was dragged away by Malik again. "Get back in your hole."

The students heard a whistle and turned to look to Terada-sensei. All the students gathered around him, Malik dragging Marik along as he tried to spew out more of his fake stories. "Do you ever shut off?" Malik groused. "Looks like Malik always knows how to handle him." Sakura murmured. "Yeah. They've been together since kindergarten so they've been acquainted for a long time." Myrrh spoke.

"Indeed. I actually find it quite nice to be friends for so long." Shizuka said as she walked along with the others back to their teacher. Once they were all gathered, Terada told them what they were going to do, which made all the children eager. "I didn't think we were going to pull in fishing nets." Diamond said. "Neither did I." Myrrh added. Once they were given the signal, both sides started pulling in the net, urged on by the teacher. Soon, Terada-sensei blew the whistle, signaling them to stop and the class was amazed at the haul they pulled in. They took the fish back to the campsite to cook. Each group was given a task and Yugi busied himself with cutting potatoes. Sakura smiled as she walked over. "You're pretty good at that."

"Yeah well I do cook at home on some nights." he said as the others came over to him as well. Not far off, Li was cutting up lettuce quick and efficiently, catching the group's attention. "He's pretty good too." Shizuka murmured and they nodded in agreement. As soon as the food was done, the class ate and then were given free time to do as they wished until nightfall. Yugi and his friends hung out and had fun until it was time to retire for the night and headed over into their cabin to get ready for bed. "Today was fun." Ryou spoke.

"Yeah, fishing and cooking and playing out on the beach. This is a great summer trip." Malik said. "So what's planned for tomorrow?"

"I believe it's the test of courage." When Yugi heard this, he gulped silently. _'Test of courage...'_

"Yeah. It was said to be held at the rocks." As he heard this, Yugi remembered the cavern that he spotted earlier that day. "The rocks, you mean the ones that we can see from the beach?" Sakura asked and they nodded. Shizuka peeked her head out from the top bunk. "But tell me, do you all know the story?" she questioned.

"What story?"

Malik chuckled a little. "Shizuka sounds happy." he said and Sakura nodded in agreement. "Well, there's this story that told of grade schoolers that had outdoor classes here. The had fun on the first day, swimming, playing and pulling in the fishing net. But the second day, they were given a test of courage..." Yugi whimpered slightly and covered his ears, not wanting to hear the story that they others were getting into. "Sounds like they follow the same schedule as us." Diamond whispered. "Yeah...and they had it in that very same cave. Deep inside is a small spring and over the spring is a bridge. That bridge leads to a small shrine in the middle of the spring. In the test of courage, two students make a group and have to get to the spring and leave a candle at the shrine. But one group left as they went on and no matter how long the waited, they never came back..."

Yugi bit his lip as he continued to try and block out the ghost story but could just faintly hear it.

"The others students and the teachers got worried so they went inside to look for them and there--" The story was cut short as the door opened, causing them all to scream, horrified. Terada-sensei came walked in, chuckling softly. "Everything alright in here?" he asked. "Yeah we're fine. Just a little surprised because we weren't expecting the door to open so suddenly." Ryou said as he peeked out from the top bunk. Terada rubbed the back of his head shyly and nodded.

"Ah, sorry about that." he apologized. "But I just came to tell you all that it way past lights-out. You should get some sleep." he said and they all agreed before settling down and went to sleep as Terada left the cabin to head back to his own. But as the others slept peacefully, Yugi was the only one that was still awake. He tried his hardest to sleep but the story just got the best of him. He sighed as he sat up before climbing out of bed. "Maybe some fresh air will do me some good." he whispered as he crept out the cabin and started towards the teachers' cabin. He felt a bit childish to ask about staying with them but he rather do that than to be scared the rest of the night. _'Can't believe I'm letting ghost stories get the best of me.'_ he thought and yelped as a hand touched his shoulder. He quickly turned around only to see it was Li.

"Ra, you surprised me..." he murmured.

"Same here. What are you doing out here?" Li asked.

"Just needed to clear my head. What about you?"

"Thinking. I felt a presence at the rocks earlier today." he said as he looked to Yugi. "Really? I remember seeing you over there. Do you think it's a Clow Card?" Yugi suggested and Li shook his head. "I couldn't tell. At least not yet." Yugi gulped. "So...do you think it's a....a ghost?" Li gave him a skeptical glance. "Maybe...maybe not. But I felt it again just a couple minutes ago." he said as they made their way to the beach, getting a good view of the rocks. Li watched the cavern and quickly, a flickering light shined from the cavern. "And now I just saw something..." he murmured and Yugi squeaked.

"Ok! Enough scary nonsense please!" he hissed and Li waved his hands, nodding quickly. Things were silent before Yugi looked over to Li. "So, you came from Hong Kong, right?"

"Yeah..."

"With your family?"

Li shook his head. "No...with Wei."

"Wei?"

"Yeah. He took care of me since I was little..." he murmured and Yugi nodded. "Must be a good person then." Yugi whispered as Li looked to him. "How would you know?" he questioned. Yugi chuckled a little as he started walking off back to his cabin. "Well for one, it shows you have a good heart somewhere if we were able to have this conversation without spewing insults at one another." he pointed out before he was out of sight. Li blinked for a moment before mumbling something to himself and headed back to his own cabin. Back at the cavern, the light haze appeared again before disappearing just as crimson eyes glowing through the brush above it before they were gone into the darkness.

* * *

The next morning all the students were up and getting ready for the day ahead. "Yugi, if I known you didn't get any sleep, you could've woke me." Ryou said as he looked over to him. "I was fine. I talked with Li since we met up outside. Surprisingly enough it was a civil conversation." Yugi replied as he wiped off his face. Ryou chuckled softly and nodded. They both walked off, finding a nice shady area and relaxed there. Eventually, Yugi fell asleep and Ryou smiled as he watched him before looking back out to sea. A couple minutes later did Yugi wake and sat up, yawning softly. He looked towards the cavern and saw the eerie haze and blinked before rubbing his eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light. Ryou looked over to him, concerned.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine." he said. Ryou nodded and they spent the rest of the day there, having lunch when called. Nightfall came and the students were all gathered at the cavern where a teacher from another class had candles lit and ready for the test. "Well, here's what you all been waiting for. The test of courage!" she said and the students cheered. "Each of you will take a candle and head into this cavern. At the back is a spring with a bridge that leads to a small shrine. You will leave the candles there and return back here to complete the test. Understand?" She got a confirmation from each and Yugi tried to breath easy as he stood beside Sakura who was his partner for the test. "In your group, make a smaller group of two or three." The teacher continued and Sakura held onto Yugi's hands to reassure him and he smiled to her, grateful for the gesture.

"Now, the cave is a one way path and ends at the shrine. No worries of getting lost here. Once you place your candle at the shrine, come right back." Another confirmation was heard from the student and the teacher standing ushering in the teams after handing them a candle to take with them. Yugi got more terrified as it got closer to their turn. Sakura chuckled softly as she patted his shoulder. "Yugi, I won't lie. I'm a little afraid too so you're not alone. At the very least, the teachers are probably in there to scare us as we go." Shizuka laughed softly and nodded. "I hope they're scary!" she said gleefully and both blanched just a little. "She's way too eager..." Yugi murmured.

"Yeah..." Soon, Shizuka and her group went in and Yugi paled just a little which Marik caught sight of. "You're looking a little pale there, Yugi." he said and Yugi only nodded shakily as he and Sakura headed inside after taking their candle. Li watched at they left, his attention more focused on what just awaited inside of the cavern. Yugi did a mini chant inside his mind as they walked, holding tight to Sakura's hand as they went on. Eventually, something came out and Yugi yelped as he stumbled back and would've nearly fallen if Sakura didn't catch him. "It's alright, Yugi. Look." she said as she pulled off the sheet that covered Terada. "It's just Terada-sensei." Yugi blinked before sighing. "Man, I really need to get over ghosts..." Terada chuckled lightly.

"You will, Yugi. I'm sure. Now continue on and be careful." he said and they both nodded as they walked further into the cavern. Soon, they reached the bridge and Sakura looked around for a moment. "That's weird..." she whispered, catching Yugi's attention. "What is?"

"Well, all we saw so far was Terada-sensei. No other teachers came out as we were walking along. And even worse is that we haven't encountered anyone on the way here who surely should have been coming back after placing their candles at the shrine." Sakura pointed out and Yugi nodded in agreement. "You're right...that is weird..." Soon enough, they heard someone calling out in fear and they recognized it at Myrrh's voice calling out for Shizuka.

"That's Myrrh and it sounds like trouble. Let's hurry." Sakura said and Yugi nodded as they ran across the bridge onto the other side and soon met up with Myrrh and Malik. "What happened?" Yugi asked. "Shizuka! She...she disappeared!" Malik said, fear lacing his voice. "Disappeared?"

"Yes! Right before our eyes! Right, Myrrh?" he said as he looked to her but gasped as she disappeared right there too. Yugi and Sakura gasped as well. "Yugi! I don't know what's going on but I'm freaking out!" Malik whimpered but soon, he was gone too. "Yugi! Something's really wrong here!" Sakura said as she looked to him. Yugi nodded, his nerves already shot bad enough. "It's like the story Shizuka told us...."

"We better get back and inform the teachers now." Yugi nodded, taking Sakura's hand and they both ran back across the bridge. But as they ran, Yugi felt that something was wrong and turned to look back onto to see the candle there....but no Sakura. He whimpered once more as the candle fell, landing on the bridge. The hot wax dripped onto the old boards, causing them to soon light up from the fire. Yugi moved back onto the cavern floor and watched as the fire ate away at the bridge. "Yugi!" Li called as he ran up and Yugi turned to him. "Li! What the hell is going on!"

"Were people disappearing?" Yugi nodded.

"Yes, Sakura, Myrrh, Shizuka and Malik disappeared."

"Yeah, Marik disappeared on me as we were coming up but I can tell you're terrified. You need to calm down and figure out the presence." Li said. Yugi nodded slowly before closing his eyes and concentrated. Eventually, he caught onto the presence and looked to Li. "It's a Clow Card." Li nodded and brought out the Lasin board and cast its magic, soon getting a path to where the card was. "Well, we know where it is. Now how to do we get to it?" Li murmured before going silent, catching Yugi's attention. "Li what's wrong with you?"

"There's another presence here. And it's much stronger." he whispered. They both kept an eye out before the water started bubbling and they both stepped back. A dark form emerged from the water and Li brought out his sword, ready to attack if needed.

/Need a lift?/ the figure questioned and Yugi blinked as he recognized the voice. "Aqua? Is...is that you?" he asked as he stepped forward and soon got a glimpse of the creature. It was a dragon, black plated scale slicked with water and crimson eyes peering down at them both. Li stepped up beside Yugi, looking up to him as well. "You can't be that kid!" he said, eyes narrowed. Aqua huffed as he looked to him. /Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Right now is not the time for explanations. Yugi, you have a card to capture and looks like you need a ride./ he said as he moved closer to shore. /Climb on./ They both did and Aqua started making his way to the other side.

/Stay quiet. The last thing we need is to disappear too./ Aqua spoke as he looked back to them. Yugi nodded as he held onto the spines on his back. "But how are we gonna find the card?"

/You'll have the find the main body of it and apparently, its somewhere around the shrine. Maybe actually inside it./ he said as they reached the shore and both Yugi and Li hopped off. Aqua climbed from the water, revealing his complete form, and looked down to Yugi. /Now all you have to do is find it, Yugi. Concentrate./ he said and Yugi nodded and was about to when he looked to Li and gasped. "Li! You're disappearing!" he called and Li looked down at himself, seeing that indeed he was starting to disappear. "Don't worry about me! Find the card! Hurry and concentrate or else you'll lose everyone for good!" Yugi nodded and started concentrating to pinpoint the card. Indeed the trail was focused more at the shrine and Yugi ran over, opening it and a opaque mist plumed out from inside.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" Yugi tapped the air before him and soon, the mist was assimilated into the card, the picture and name revealing it to be the Erase card. Aqua and Li moved over to his side to look at the card. /The Erase, huh? No wonder people were disappearing./ he spoke. Li looked up to him. "How long have _you _been in here?" he demanded.

/Since yesterday./

"If that's true then how come you haven't disappeared?" Li interrogated, eyes narrowing. His suspicions were falling into place. First it was the appearance of Yami from some unknown that Yugi knew long before he came and now here was a dragon that had the exact same voice of Aqua from Domino. _'Then it is true...if my suspicions are right...then Aqua and Yami are both the Ying Dragons Clow Card.'_ Li thought. "Leave him alone, Li." Yugi said before smiling a little as he looked up to the dragon. "Thank you. You sound familiar but it can't really be true. There's no way that Aqua could be a dragon." he said. Aqua chuckled as well as he looked down to him. /You'll be surprised....little captor./ he whispered before looking up. /People that disappeared from the Erase should be back now. Let's get you two back across so I can get out of here./ he said and both nodded as Aqua climbed back into the water and they climbed onto his back.

Once back on the opposite shore, the three headed back to the mouth of the cavern and Yugi took a moment to look back to Aqua only to find him gone. "Hey...he's gone..." he whispered and Li looked back to him for a moment only to shrug and leave. Yugi followed and from above, Aqua watched them go, reverting back to human form. "You had it right on the first try, precious. Too bad you didn't really think it was actually me. But I'll tell you once you're alone since I don't want that brat figuring me out and making you do the wrong decision that's not your own." he said softly as he watched the two head back to camp.

* * *

The next day, Yugi and the others were gathered on the beach, some bemoaning the fact that they couldn't remember a thing of the test of courage. "And I was looking forward to it." Shizuka murmured.

"Me too."

"Yeah, same here."

Ryou looked to them all and then over to Yugi, leaning over. "Was it really a Clow Card?" he asked and Yugi nodded. "Yeah. It was making everyone in the cave disappear but me and Li took care of it with some help from another dragon. It was almost eerie how he sounded like Aqua though."

"Did you think he could have actually been Aqua?"

"No. Aqua couldn't be a dragon. There's no proof that he could be one." Yugi said before looking up to where Li stood. He stood and walked over to him, standing beside him. "I guess I had to thank you somewhat for helping me out last night." he murmured. Li shrugged. "Don't mention it. I still haven't approved of you yet." Li replied before they both turned as Malik called to them. "Want to play a round of beach volleyball?" he called.

"Beach volleyball goes way, way back, you know." Marik started. "It was said in a legend from ancient Egypt that if you didn't drop the ball once, your romantic wish would be granted." Marik's word ticked in both Li and Yugi's mind, Li was the image of Seth and Yugi was the image of Aqua before he shook it away, flushing brightly. Malik slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Again with the lies, Marik...." he muttered before the ball was snatched from his hand and both Yugi and Li got into a heated game. They all blinked before Diamond chuckled. "Well, those two definitely have something in common."

"They fall for lies easily?" Malik stated, crossing his arms. They all laughed and decided to watch the game to see just how long they would keep it up.

From above, Aqua watched with a soft smile before making his way back to Domino to await Yugi's return. He had a few plans in mind, seeing as a summer festival was coming up and decided that he would tell his secret then.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it, after 17 long chapters, we finally got into revealing Aqua's dragon form. Anyways, hope you all like and I'll see you very soon with another chapter to another story. And for those who have been keeping up with me Halloween fic, Uzumaki, there's a poll up in my bio that is mandatory in order for me to determine what outcome I'll be making for it. Other than that, that's all I have for you today and I'll see you later with a new chapter. See ya!


	18. The Glowing Summer Festival

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 18

* * *

Deep in the world of dreams, a spark of green illuminated through the darkness. As the area cleared, the speck of green floated about before coming up to one lone tree, soon illuminating the entire tree. Yugi opened his eyes as he appeared within the dream and looked around to the sparkles that illuminated the area. He smiled softly as he watched them dance before holding a hand out. _'So pretty...these are probably...'_ He started to think but was interrupted by a roar and looked up but before he could see what it was, the dream faded.

"Probably..." he murmured before waking up and looking right into Kero's face. "Probably?" he urged and Yugi yelped as he jumped away from the other. "Don't do that!" he said with a huff and Kero crossed his arms. "Nice way to greet someone, Yugi." Yugi sighed as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Well I wasn't the one hovering at someone's face while they were sleeping."

"Well _you _shouldn't be lazing around in bed all day just because it's summer vacation. I thought now would be a good time to wake you up." he said as he floated to Yugi's side once more. "So, what's this 'probably' you were talking about?" he questioned. Yugi tried to rattle his brain before shaking his head. "You scaring the living daylights out of me made me forget." he muttered and Kero gaped. "You can't be forgetting your dreams like this, Yugi! Dreams of powerful people can end up being premonitions of something important!"

"Alright, alright! I understand." Yugi whined as he got up from bed and moved over to the window, opening it and letting in the warm summer air in. "The wind feels nice." he murmured as Kero fluttered over to rest beside him. "Summer is almost over, you know." Kero spoke before looking over to Yugi. "So, have you completed you summer homework yet?" he asked. Yugi took a glance back where the books for his studies sat and laughed shakily before changing the subject.

"You know what, I'm in charge of dinner tonight, aren't I?" he said as he moved away from the window to get dressed. "What to cook...what to cook..." he murmured to himself and Kero sighed, crossing his arms. "He'll be seeing hell the last day of summer if he continues procrastinating." Kero muttered before following Yugi downstairs when he left, seeing that his father and grandfather were out for the day. He opened the fridge and looked inside before nodding. "We have cabbage and flour. Looks like I'm making okonomiyaki tonight." he said with a bright smile.

"All right! I like the sound of that!" Kero chirped.

Yugi nodded running up to grab his bag. "I'm going to head out grocery shopping. I'll be back in a bit."

"If you're going to make okonomiyaki tonight, make mine a modern-yaki." Kero said as he followed. "Did you hear me?" he whined.

"Yeah. It's the one with the soba noodles on top, right?" Kero nodded eagerly and imagined the tasty dinner awaiting him tonight. Yugi chuckled softly before strapping on his skates and headed out. He quickly stopped at the store to get the ingredients he needed and left to head on back home. "I have the noodles and the sauce..." he murmured to himself before looking up as he came across a post board. He skid to a stop before moving closer to read the post. He saw a flyer there talking about the summer festival. "Hmm, today's the last day of the festival." he murmured to himself before smiling. "I'll call Ryou, Diamond and Sakura and see if they want to come." he said before skating off and slowed.

"Hmm...maybe I should take a quick detour..."

He went off once more, taking a different path and soon came over to a simple residential home and looked into the garden. "Hmm...guess he's not home." he murmured. "Yugi-kun!" A voice called and he looked around. "Up here!" Yugi looked up and saw Aqua waving from the rooftop of the house. "Oh, Aqua! I didn't know you were here." Yugi said, a small blush dusting his cheeks. He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, Seth's here too but he's tending to something so I decided to stay out the way for the moment." he said before spotting the grocery bag. "Went shopping?"

"Yeah but I'm all done." Yugi replied.

"Really? Then how about you come in for some tea."

"Is that alright?" Aqua nodded before standing. "Seth also has some yummy treats. I'll go ahead and get them now." he said before climbing down and get everything prepared. As he did so, Yugi couldn't help but smile. 'I'm glad I took that detour.' he thought before coming in when Aqua waved him over. Yugi settled at the table as Aqua set a cup of tea before him. "I made your tea a little weak, Yugi. Seth told me that you liked weak tea." he spoke and Yugi nodded. "Thanks." Yugi took the cup in hand before looking up to Aqua. "So why were you on the roof, Aqua?" he asked.

"It's such a nice day so I decided to enjoy it from up there."

"I see. Where are Seth's folks?"

"On a trip. They're still very good friends and like to go on trips with one another. From what Seth told me, they went to Atami." he said as he took a bit of the tea cake and ate it. "Delicious." Yugi smiled a little more before thinking about Seth. _'I wonder if he feels lonely. He has friends to come visit but when they're not here...'_ he wondered to himself before taking a piece of the cake as well and ate some before humming delightfully.

"It is good!" Aqua laughed softly as they continued to enjoy the tea and cakes. Once they were done with only a few sips left of their tea, Yugi stretched a bit before looking up as the chime of the clock rung through the room. "Oh man, is it already that late?" he questioned before standing. "I should be getting home." Aqua nodded before standing. "I'll walk you home. Seems you have a hefty burden on you. Besides, Seth needs to return something to Jounouchi and seeing as he comes over to your place more often, we can leave it there." Aqua said. Yugi nodded and watched as Aqua gathered the dishes to place in the kitchen and he smiled once more. _'Today was really a good day.'_ he thought before heading over to the front door to slip on his skates again. Aqua came out to join him and took his grocery bag before they both left out to head to Yugi's.

They shared stories as they walked, laughing as they did so. "So I ate the gelatin that was in the fridge but then Kaiser came by and told me that it was for Jou. I felt so bad." Yugi said before he yelped as he hit a firm body and looked to see that it Jou standing before him. "So you ate it, huh? No wonder why I couldn't find it that day I came over." Yugi squeaked as he scurried back and Aqua laughed as he placed a hand on his shoulder and together, the three continued on. Once they got back, Yugi asked them if they would like to stay for dinner. They both agreed and Aqua even offered to help Yugi. "Yugi, did you know that there's a festival going on today?" he asked and Yugi nodded.

"Yeah, I was planning to invite Sakura, Ryou and Diamond and go later." he replied. "Just you guys?" Jou questioned as he looked to them. "Yeah." Yugi replied before looked over to Aqua who was chopping up leeks. "Um..."

"I'm going to come along too." Jou said and Yugi turned back to him. "Really? Don't you have work or something?" he asked and Jou shook his head. "Nope, not tonight. And besides, I want to get out of my house since Kaiser will be busy tonight." Yugi nodded and Aqua smiled before looking down to Yugi. "Mind if I come along too?" Yugi looked back to Aqua and nodded, a big smile on his face. "Of course! Here, I'm going to call them right now and ask." Yugi said happily as he left the counter to go make the calls. Aqua smiled as he looked to him. "You're a good friend to him, Jounouchi." he said and Jou looked to him. "Can ya blame me? When we first me, he was such a nice kid and I couldn't help the urge to protect him when he needs it the most. I'm like his big brother, you know?"

"Yeah, I completely understand and I think it's good that you do that for him." Jou smiled and nodded as he continued chopping up the cabbage just as Yugi came back to tell them that his friends were coming along. "Then the six of us can head there together." Aqua said and Yugi nodded in agreement. "Do you know where it's being held, Yugi?"

"Yes. I think the poster said it was held at the Domino Shrine." he answered and both looked over to Jou as they heard the slam of the cleaver into the cutting board. Jou looked to them and chuckled softly "Heh...hand slipped." he whispered before going back to chopping the cabbage.

* * *

Once they ate, Yugi made a plate of modern-yaki and brought it up for Kero. He set it on the table before he went to look in the closet for his yukata. "Mmm...modern-yaki is the best yaki..." Kero hummed as he looked at the meal that awaited him before turning to look back to Yugi. "Going out?"

"Uh huh. There's a festival at the shrine. Tonight's the last night." he said as he brought out the pure white yukata with a silver embroidery and decorated with a twisting dragon pattern on the back and sides. He yelped as Kero came in close again. "Souvenirs..." he urged and Yugi nodded. "Ok! Ok! Just stop doing that!" he huffed. Once he was ready, he bid Kero goodbye before heading out. Everyone met up halfway and Sakura cooed at Yugi's outfit. "You look adorable, Yugi." she said and he laughed softly. "You have my dad to thank for this. He made it for me." Sakura laughed as well and nodded. "He's very talented." Aqua smiled as he looked to the two of them.

"Oh Yugi! I have my recorder for you. I can't wait to get some nice shots of you at the festival." Diamond said, tail wagging, and Yugi could feel a sweatdrop forming as he let out a forced laugh. "I'm sure you're going to have fun with that, aren't you?"

"Yep!"

"Oh boy..."

They all shared a laugh before making their way to the shrine. When they got there, they were amazed at the dramatic change the place took for the festival and Yugi smiled brightly. He took Sakura's hand and walked in with her to explore around. The rest followed and looked to the various stands that were around. Yugi soon stopped at a water yoyo stand and brightened at the thought of getting one. He went over for a try to get a red one but the rope broke and he groaned. "Darn. So close." he muttered. Aqua stepped over next to him and knelt down. "Do you want the red one, Yugi?" he asked and Yugi nodded.

"Yeah."

Aqua nodded and asked for another try. He took the hook and went in for the red one, catching it with ease and brought it back up and out of the tiny pool. "There you are, Yugi." Yugi took the toy and smiled. "Thanks Aqua." The other nodded with a smile before looking up to Jou. "Do you want one, Jou?" he asked but the other didn't immediately respond, seeing as he was in a daze. "Jounouchi?" Aqua called but still didn't get a response. "Hey, Jou-kun. You ok?" Yugi asked as he walked over to him and he blinked before nodding. "I'm fine." he murmured. Aqua was concerned but nodded as he stood along with Yugi. "So, what should we do next?"

"Hmmm...how about the ring toss." Yugi suggested and they nodded before they started walking off. Yugi came to a stop as he looked over and spot Malik and Marik coming their way. "Malik! Marik! Over here!" he called, waving to them. They waved back and soon reached the group, short seeing as Ryou, Aqua and Jou continued on their way towards the ring toss. "Evening." Malik greeted. "Nice to see you two here."

"Yeah, we heard from Shizuka. Sadly they couldn't make it because they had lessons today." Malik replied. He spotted the water yoyo and smiled. "So cute. Did you just get that?"

Yugi nodded and Marik smirked. "Do you know the origin of the water yoyo?" Yugi looked to him and shook his head. "Well, it was said to have come from the Edo period and it was considered a simple summer past time for the peasant people."

"Really? But they didn't have rubber way back then, right?" Yugi then looked to the toy in hand. "This is rubber, right?" Both Malik and Sakura nodded. "Since they didn't have it back then, they made it out of glass." Marik spoke and Malik gave him a skeptical look. "This is starting to sound fishy now." he murmured. Yugi looked over to Malik and then to Marik. "But Marik, if it was really made of glass, then they couldn't play with it like this." Yugi said, bouncing the toy in his hand. "And not only that but wouldn't something made out of glass break easily?" Sakura pointed out.

"Yeah but the classy people found a way to play with it without breaking it." Marik said and Malik huffed. "It's a lie. I'm sure of it now." he muttered before they all heard a pop and looked around. "What was that?" They scanned the field before Yugi spotted who it was. Li was over by the shooting gallery, a mountain of prizes stacked beside him. He aimed and fired, hitting down another one. "You're pretty good, Li." Yugi said as they came up behind him. Li turned back and jumped at seeing everyone behind him. Sakura looked to the prizes. "Did you really win all of them?" she questioned and he nodded.

"That's amazing." Another voice spoke and Yugi looked back to see it was Seth, wearing an ocean blue yukata with flora print decorating the sides. "Hey Seth!" Yugi greeted and Li froze before grabbed a few prizes that he gotten and held them up to Seth. "For me?" Li nodded and he chuckled. "Thank you."

"Speaking of target shooting, once upon a time..." Malik hit him over the head with his fan. "Hush already." he hissed before looking over to another stand. "Hey Marik, get that toy for me. If you do, I'll bring some homemade treats for you."

"Really? Then I guess I better pray." he said and Malik blinked. "Why?"

"Because I can't trust that I'll live after your cooking." Malik's eyebrow ticked before he started choking the other. "You're so mean! I just got the hang of making cookies!" he growled. Ryou chuckled. "Those two are really good friends. I just hope they aren't dating or else Malik might lose his hair." he said with a soft chuckle. "Oh, Sakura. I won something for you." Seth spoke as he held out another water yoyo for her. "Wow! Thanks Seth!" she said happily before going quiet, remembering just who was standing not too far from them. Yugi could just feel the menacing glare coming from Li and sighed. _'This won't end well...'_ he thought. Jou saw the glare and huffed.

"You got a problem there?" he questioned as he looked down to him but Li never responded. Malik's ecstatic response broke Yugi's train of thought as he looked over to see that Marik won the plush toy for Malik. He smiled at the two before looking back to the booth. "Hey, look at that, Sakura." he said, pointing over to the adjacent booth that was the ring toss game and the plush rabbit that was one of the prizes. "Oh, it's so cute..." Sakura said with a small smile on his face. Li heard the comment and looked to the plush. Jou was watching him as well and his eyes narrowed a bit. Soon, they were both off, placing their money down and once they were handed their rings, they went flying.

"This will probably go on for a while." Aqua said before looking down. "Shall we head off somewhere else, Yugi?" he asked. Yugi looked up to him before Diamond tapped his shoulder. "Go with him. Ryou and I are going to stay here and watch. It's a festival after all." she said, smiling. Aqua nodded before taking Yugi's hand and walked off with him. "I still think they would make a cute couple." Sakura said and both nodded in agreement.

* * *

They walked through the festivals, checking out booths and little trinkets here and there before they stepped off towards the back and Aqua looked around. "Seems we hit the back of the shrine." he murmured. Yugi looked around as well before looking up, seeing something glow in the air. "Oh look, fireflies." Yugi whispered as he pointed to them.

"But there isn't a river nearby, is there?" Aqua questioned as he looked down to him. Yugi shook his head and watched as they floated away. "Shall we?" Yugi looked up to Aqua and nodded before the two pursued the mysterious fireflies. The speck continued to float along until it came to a tree which became illuminated in the same glow. Yugi reached the tree and gasped in delight as he looked up to it. "So pretty..." he whispered before blinking. _'Wait...this is just like my dream...'_ he thought and then looked over to Aqua who stood not to far from where he was. "Aqua?"

"Now that we're alone, I have something important to show you. I don't want you to reveal this secret to anyone just yet." he whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

Aqua chuckled softly. "Remember the dragon you met on your outdoor class trip?" Yugi's eyes widened. "H-how do you know about that?"

"It's very simple." he murmured before he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, letting his mortal shell fall as he fluently slipped into his true dragon form. Yugi gasped as he watched the change before stepping closer to him. "You're...you're really a dragon? I just can't believe this." he murmured. /Believe it, dear Cardcaptor. The Sealed Cards were a secret in this world along with the magical community. You stumbled upon it and although it was an accident in your eyes, it is actually a blessing. You hold great potential and I can sense it well./ he said as he lowered his head down to nuzzle him. /And looks like you have yourself a job to do. The fireflies aren't fireflies./ Yugi nodded, petting Aqua's snout lightly before turning, ready to bring out the Sealing Staff when he heard rustling in the bushes and gasped. He turned to look where Aqua was only to find him gone along with the specks of light that were in the tree.

"Got it!" Both Jou and Li called, both holding a rabbit plush. The others came up behind them and Ryou chuckled. "They couldn't settle the score so the guy at the booth gave one to them both." Diamond said. "It was quite the heated battle." Li looked over to Seth who came up to them and held up the plush to him. He chuckled softly. "I can have this too?" Li nodded. Yugi chuckled as well before looking up to Jou who held the plush toy to him. "Do you want it, Yugi?"

"No. Give it to Sakura. I'm sure she'll want it more." he said and Jou nodded as he went over to Sakura and handed the toy over to her. "Thanks Jou!" she said as she hugged the toy close. He smiled before looking up to the sky. _'I wish the moment could've lasted just a little longer.'_ Ryou looked around. "Hey Yugi, where did Aqua go?" he asked and Yugi was jerked from his thoughts. "Oh...he headed home early." he replied. "Who wants to get a snow-cone? There's a stand back over there." Marik said and Malik nodded in agreement. Seth looked down to Li who was still blushing. "I'll buy you one in thanks for this plush toy." he said before looking over to Jou who was seemingly glaring down at Li. "Come with us, Jou." Jou blinked as he looked over to Seth before nodding.

"Alright." he murmured as they walked off. Malik looked back and waved. "Come on, you guys!" he called. Diamond looked over to Yugi. "Is everything alright, Yugi?" she asked. "Just have something on my mind." he answered and she nodded before looking back to where Malik stood. "We'll be there in a little while!" Malik nodded before he left as well. There was silence for a few seconds before the glowing specks of lights revealed themselves and Sakura gasped. "They're beautiful."

"Yeah. I said the same thing. I saw them in a dream." Yugi murmured and she looked over to him. "So could they be..." He nodded as he brought out the Sealing Staff. "Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" He tapped the air and soon, the specks were brought into the card image, revealing itself to be the Glow card. He smiled as he looked to the card. _'This card will always remind me of this day.'_

"Nice job, Yugi! Lovely shot!" Diamond said off to the side and he and Yugi could feel that sweatdrop forming again. "So it really was a Clow Card. Who knew?" Sakura said as they walked over. "Yeah. I didn't sense it and it looked like Li didn't either. Like Kero told me, apparently the dream I had was a premonition of this very moment." Yugi said as he gazed down at the card again. "But this card is really special. I do have to admit that." he whispered and Ryou nodded, smiling as well. "Well, we shouldn't keep the others waiting. Let's go and meet up with them." They nodded and they all headed off but Yugi as he looked to the skies once more, now seeing a dark form gliding in the sky.

"See you soon....Aqua." he whispered and a roar answered him before he tucked the card away and ran off to catch up with the others.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. Another chapter done and now we have Aqua reveal himself to Yugi. But secrets are still held from Yugi which shall soon be revealed in later chapter. But anywho, hoped you all enjoyed this little installment and now I'm off to get some more action into Uzumaki before Halloween so I'll see you soon with another chapter for that! Ja ne! -runs off-


	19. On the Move

Chains of the Seal

Chapter 19

* * *

It was another sunny day and Yugi was sitting in his room, working on his report that was due for class when school was back in session. It was nothing too horrible like the school year beforehand. He didn't even want to be reminded of the long and tedious days of research in the library for a particular subject. But now, he was able to take it easy and do a nice simple report of how he spent his summer. _'I went to the beach as part of my outdoor classes. It was fun and I swan a lot. There was a test of course and I actually was very afraid to take it but thanks to my special friend, I was able to make it through with no trouble at all._' he thought as he wrote the words on the paper before him. After finishing, he stretched a little and sighed. Kero floated down and took a look at the paper.

"Writing your report, Yugi?" he asked and Yugi nodded.

"Yep. Thank every deity that we just have to write about what we did over the summer and not some crazy elaborate piece like we did for school projects." he said as Kero started reading over what he wrote. "Ah, writing about the beach, I wish I could've came along. Sure it was fun." he murmured as he read some more on it. "So what else do you have to do?"

"Well, I still have my homework to do. Math sheets, vocabulary and that's about it. Oh, and I agreed to help Sakura with her book report later. She's just as bad as I am." he said with a chuckle and he sighed. "Hopefully she's not as bad as to wait til the last minute to do things." Kero murmured. They heard a knock at the door and Yugi got up to answer it. Sakura smiled as she waved. "Hey, Yugi. I thought I should come over early to get your help. But first, mind if I borrow your colored pencils?" she asked.

"Sure. Working on your picture diary?" he questioned as he went to fetch said item. "Yeah, got it all done up to July 31." she said proudly and Kero gaped. "You're only up to there! It's August 31 now! Shouldn't you be close to done by now?" Kero exclaimed and Sakura rubbed the back of her head shyly. "Yeah, I should...but you know, been busy and all..." she said with a sheepish grin and Kero slapped his forehead with a tiny paw. "I can see why you two are such good friends..."

"Hey!" Both Yugi and Sakura shouted at the tiny guardian and he huffed. "Just stating the truth."

While they worked, Kero decided to turn on the TV to watch, seeing that there was a special broadcast today about Kumaya right now. They were now talking about the sweet potato sticks that they sold there and Kero hummed as he looked at the images on the TV. "Those look delicious." he murmured just as Sakura exclaimed in happiness about finishing up her diary. "Hey, Yugi, do you have some old newspapers that I can use to get the weather?" she asked.

"Sure, give me one second." he said as he stood and headed out to go get them. But when he arrived at the bin where they kept all the old newspapers, he found it nearly empty. "Uh oh..." he whispered before leaving out the living room and peeked out into the corridor. "Dad! What did you do with all the old newspapers?" he called.

He looked out from another room. "Oh, I took them out this morning." he said and Yugi blanched. Fujitaka walked over to him. "Did you need them for something?" he asked.

"Yeah, Sakura needed the weather reports for her picture diary for school." he said and Fujitaka nodded. "Ah." He pulled out something from his pocket and handed it over to Yugi. "Will this do?" he asked. Yugi looked to the device before looking back up to him. "I needed it for some research I was doing so it has about 2 or 3 months worth of data." he said as he turned the device on and it showed the weather for the past couple months. Yugi smiled brightly and nodded. "Thanks! This will work perfectly!" he said as he took the device and headed back to his room. "Here, Sakura. My dad threw out the newspapers but we have this." he said as she took the device and smile.

"This is perfect. Thanks, Yugi!" she said before she got to work writing down the weather for her diary. She stretched as she finished up her diary as Yugi started working on his math sheets. "There, I'm all done. Hey, Yugi, mind helping me out with my math sheets too? Some of us got a different lecture book to do so we have different problems." she said and he nodded. "Sure, bring it over." She nodded as dug through her bag to get the math sheets but couldn't find them. "Hey, where'd they go?" she questioned.

"Is this it? They look so simple." Kero said as he was looking through Sakura's math sheets. "Hey, some of those questions aren't as easy as you think." she said, looking to the guardian. "Oh, I concur. I could do these no problem. But if I do, I want something in return." he said, a wicked gleam in his eye. "What?"

* * *

Yugi sighed as he sat outside with Sakura, helping her with her construction project. "Sweet potato sticks from Kumaya. He sure does loves his sweets but I won't be helping him if he can't fly when he gets too fat." he murmured. "Ah, Yugi. Sakura. Hello." A voice spoke and they turned to see Seth standing there. "Hey!" Sakura said, accidentally hitting her project with a little too much force and it collapsed. "Eep!"

Jou came out behind Seth and chuckled. "Construction project, I assume?" he asked and Yugi nodded. "Yep."

"Ah, nothing like tradition." he said with another chuckle and Sakura pouted. "Ah, I still remember when we were all were little. Both Yugi and Sakura always like finishing their projects on the last day so they both were running around trying to get everything done on time. If I remember right, the last project you did back then was a paper mache piggy bank, right Sakura?" Jou questioned and she huffed. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, if I remember right, you made it into the shape of a penguin and it was completely useless." Jou said and Seth looked to him. "How was it useless?"

"She forgot to put in a way for the money to be placed inside."

Sakura pouted and turned away from them as she worked on her project. "So what are we getting this year?" he asked. Seth examined the piece and nodded. "Looks like a birdhouse."

"A birdhouse, huh? And you know, Sakura, how is the bird supposed to get inside?" Jou pointed out and she gaped as she looked to her project and indeed, there wasn't an entrance for the birds to get it. "Ehehe...oops..." she whispered and Yugi chuckled as he worked on his own vocab worksheets.

"Yugi! You were supposed to be helping me!"

"Hey, I have my own stuff to do too!"

"Hey, hey. Calm down now. Sakura, if you like, I can help you out." Jou said and Sakura's eyes glittered happily. "Really?" Jou nodded. "Yep, but you're gonna have to make me some tasty treats for oh...two weeks for my services."

"Done!"

"Don't poison me."

"You know I won't!" Yugi chuckled as he listened to his friends bicker before hearing the phone rang and went to answer it, it was Ryou and he smiled as he talked to him. /So, are you all done with your things, Yugi?/

"Almost. Need to finish up my vocab but right now, I'm helping out Sakura with a few of her projects. Kero is helping her with math and Jou offered to do her construction project since she doesn't have a good hand at building anything properly." he said and Ryou chuckled over the line. "So, what else do you have to do?"

/My math sheets and my book report. How about we all head down to the library and get it done together?/ Ryou suggested and Yugi nodded to that before holding a hand over the mouthpiece. "Hey, Sakura! We're gonna head down to the library and meet up with Ryou! He needs to finish up his book report too!"

"Ok!"

/Meet me at the bridge at Penguin Park./ Ryou said and Yugi nodded before hanging up. Jou waved to them as they left, cheekily reminding Sakura of her payment for his help and she shoved him playfully before they left.

* * *

Ryou waited at the bridge, a couple youngers kids doing the same. One of their little friends arrived and they were off just as Yugi and Sakura arrived. "Today's the last day of the pool, isn't it?" Yugi asked as he watched the children run off. "Yeah, summer's close to ending now." Ryou murmured before looking to them. "So, ready to go?"

Yugi nodded before Kero poked his head out from Sakura's bag. "You sure the two of you aren't out to play and not finish up your work?"

"Hush you. That's not true!" Yugi said, Ryou laughing softly before they headed off. The walk was quiet as they headed onward to the library. Kero slipped back into the bag once they were in vicinity of the library and headed inside. Yugi whistled as he saw many other students in the study room, getting their own summer homework done. "Guess we weren't the only class that got a lot of homework over the summer." he said as he looked around before looking for a spot where they can sit and do their reports. Eventually, Sakura found a spot but she wasn't the only one there. She yelped as she came to a stop, facing Li. There was silence as the two looked to each other and then the only remaining study room that was available. Yugi and Ryou soon arrived and saw the situation.

After a couple seconds of pondering, Li huffed and turned away. "This was a bad day anyway." he murmured.

"Come on, Li. Is it so hard to share a room?" Yugi questioned.

"Today's fortune said that bad things will happen if I deal with women." he spoke as he walked off. "Ouch. Maybe I'll take back what I've been saying about him over the summer." he murmured as he crossed his arms. Sakura sighed but shrugged as they headed inside, Yugi taking a seat on the windowsill. The three worked silently, Yugi finishing up his vocab list and waited for Sakura and Ryou to finish with their math sheets, both getting the same packets so they agreed to check over their answers together. When they were done, they got in a good stretch before Ryou looked over to him.

"So how'd you think you do?" he asked.

"I think I got most of them right. At least we're gonna check over them so I can fix any of my mistakes." Sakura said as Kero fluttered beside her. "Well at least you don't have to worry about half of them since I got them all done and right for you." he said proudly. She nodded before they went over their answers. "Let's see, for the first one, it should be..."

"350 yen."

"1000 yen."

The two looked up in surprise and Sakura looked over the question. "Let's see, a pencil cost 70 yen and you buy 5. Do the math right and it comes out to...350 yen. Kero, how in the world did you get such an answer?" she questioned as she looked up to the tiny guardian. "What? I just give them a 1000 yen bill. End of that." he said and she gaped. "Uh, that's not how it goes." she said before she looked at the rest of her pages and found most of them were either unanswered or written with something that was completely out of context with the questions. She pouted as she erased the answers so she could fix them. "No sweet potato sticks for you." she murmured and Kero was shocked.

"Why?"

"No."

After Sakura fixed her sheets and got help from Ryou if any of them were wrong, they were done and they all headed out to get their books for their book reports. "Hmm, out of all the books there are, the thinnest one is the Piglet story, right?" Sakura murmured and Ryou nodded.

"Yeah but you know that's a children's book. I don't think the teacher will let you get away with that one." Ryou pointed out. "Well, you tell me something better that's for our grade and I'll go get it." she said with a pout and Yugi chuckled. "Actually, I think Terada-sensei won't mind. I'm sure a nice elaborate report about the wonders of a children's book that always seem to fascinate the younger readers would do just fine." Yugi suggested and Sakura grinned brightly and nodded to that idea. "Great! Now to find that book." she hummed as she searched through the rows of books for it. "Hey, Ryou, did you read the same story too?" Sakura questioned. "I'm sure you would've made a nice report just like that if you did."

"No, I read a different one." he answered.

"Oh yeah? Which one? Maybe I'll read it." Sakura said as she straighten up. Ryou nodded as he looked through the book, looking for the familiar title, eventually he found it and pointed it out. Yugi and Sakura both looked to it and gaped.

"Holy...how'd did you read that thing, Ryou?" Yugi asked in surprise.

"It was a light read." Ryou replied.

"That is not a light read!" Sakura said in surprise but Ryou only chuckled softly. "I guess I'll stick with the piglets." she said before they wandered around, looking for the book. when they got to the section it was supposed to be in, there were none. "Hmm..." Inquisitive, they all headed up to the counter to ask about the book. The librarian nodded and checked through the computer. She nodded as she looked over the information before looking to them. "Four of the copies were already checked out."

"Really!"

"Yes. But there should be one more left. It's somewhere in the library. Keep looking and I'm sure you'll find it before you know it." she said, smiling softly. Sakura nodded before looking to Ryou and Yugi. "Wanna split up so we can cover more ground?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Yugi agreed and the three were soon off in search of the book.

* * *

Outside, Kero was resting under the shade of a tree, pouting to himself. "Humm...I'm sure they were good...those sweet potato sticks." he murmured and pouted some more. "Sakura didn't have to be so grumpy over it." he added as he sat up, taking a look around before looking into the nearby window of the library and spotted Li who was working on his own book report. He had the Piglet book in hand but also a dictionary, translating the kanji as he read. Kero snuck back inside and watched him for a moment before fluttering over. "What is it, kid?" he questioned and Li jumped when he heard him. Kero gazed over the book and huffed. "You don't know the kanji?"

"Hey! The kanji is different between Japan and Hong Kong!" he said in his defense, slamming the dictionary shut and making Kero jump.

With the others, they were still searching for the book but to no luck. "Huh...I wonder who has it...maybe another little kid got to it..." Sakura murmured as she trued to peek at the title of the book one kid was holding and failed, making the other irritated as she tried after he turned away from her. Back with Li and Kero, Li set the book down before picking up the dictionary, not caring that Kero was on it and huffed. "Don't get in my way." he grumbled as Kero fluttered off the book.

"Hey, don't gripe at me. I wanted to go this way too!" Kero said haughtily.

"You're runing my concentration!"

"You mean you don't have enough concentration to start with!" Kero added, having fun teasing the teen before him. Li sent him a glare but he only waved it off. "My, my. So short tempered. Oh well, since you're studying, I'll let you go this time." he spoke before flying off. Li watched as he left before giving a sigh before reaching down to grab the book only to find it gone. "Hey...I just set the book right here..." he whispered before his eyes became calculating.

_'Something's not right...'_

* * *

Sakura was still walking through the aisles, looking for the book. "Hmm..." she hummed as she continued looking about. Kero poked his head from atop a bookcase and whispered down to her. "Hey, Sakura. What are you looking for?" he questioned and she looked around for the guardian. "Up here." he called and she turned to look up. "Oh. I can't find one of the books that I wanted to write for a project." she said and he nodded.

"What was it called?"

"Piglet story."

Kero hummed before nodding. "Ah, that kid had it just now." he said and Sakura pondered over what he meant before nodding. "Oh, Li had it?" she questioned and Kero nodded. "Yeah."

With said person, he was on the search for the book once more, looking through the aisles for any sign of it. He eventually spotted the book from the other side of the case and ran over to the other side to get it, only to find it gone. "Hn..."

Ryou was walking around, still in search of the book and looked up, soon spotting the familiar cover on the very top shelf. "Oh all places." he murmured before looking around for a ladder of some sort. He found a step ladder and brought it over, stepping up and reaching the grab the book only to find it wasn't there anymore. "Hey, it was just there a minute ago..." he whispered. Sakura ran through the aisle, following Kero's lead as he took her over to where he last saw Li. When they got there, the other was gone. "Huh...he was right here. Guess he was done." Kero murmured as he fluttered over to Sakura. "Guess we're looking for the book like everyone else is then." Sakura said before they backtracked and left the aisle. Li found his way back over to the children's book section and looked around. He spotted a few kids playing but taking a closer look, he saw the book.

His eyes widened before he ran over and knelt down beside the table. "May I see that?"

As he was doing this, Sakura, Yugi and Ryou met back up. "Did you guys find it?" Yugi asked. "Li apparently has it now." Sakura answered. "Does he now? I just found it not too long ago on a shelf though." Ryou pointed out and Yugi hummed. "That's weird...there's no other copies right now except for that one. Surely it can't be in two places at once." Yugi murmured. The toppling of books and a child's cry alerted them and they looked over to the kid's section and spotted Li trying to comfort the child. Ryou looked at the table and spotted the book. "Oh! There it is!" he said, pointing out the book. But the moment the words left his mouth, a pair of tiny translucent wings appeared on the book and it started levitating, fading from view.

Yugi saw this and called on Kero which ducked into his bag. "It's a Clow Card alright. And it's still nearby." he spoke. Li stood and started on his search for the card himself. "Come on, we have to find it." Yugi said and both Ryou and Sakura nodded before they headed off to look around the children's area. Ryou came across a display case where the book was resting and looked inside, spotting it. "Ah!" he gasped and the book was off once more just as Yugi ran over. "I just saw it but it's gone." he said and Yugi cursed. A librarian came by with a cart, the elusive book now resting on it. Li spotted it and went after it. The woman came to a stop and went to place some books back just as Li arrived.

He tried to sneak up on it only for the card to take effect once more and disappear from sight. "Is there something you need?" she asked as she looked to him. "Oh, no...nothing at all..." he murmured before moving away. With the other, Ryou was looking into a thin crevice and spotted the book. "Ah, there it is..." he whispered as he knelt down and went to reach for it but his arm fell short of the book and after a while, it slipped away before he could grab it. "Darn..."

Yugi quickly ascended a ladder to reach the book but before he could get there and grab it, it was gone once more. "Oh man...this is nuts..." he murmured before sliding down the ladder. Li gulped as he crawled across the top of a perilous bookcase, making his way over to where the book was settled down. He was close and he thought for a second that he'll be able to grab it but as he made the lunge, it was gone from sight once more. "Shit..." he growled as he stood, taking a look around.

Ryou, Yugi and Sakura were gathered together once more and he scanned the library from his point of view, soon spotting it outside of the library on the back of a bicycle's package lift, the owner already riding off with the book in jumped down with ease from the bookcase and pursued after it, surprising the others before they followed behind him. But as Li arrived outside and chased down the book, only a few centimeters away from grabbing it, it was up and gone once again. the other caught up with him and when they came to a stop, Kero popped up from Yugi's bag.

"We must be dealing with the Move card."

"Move card?"

"It's a card that can pretty much move things." he explained. "Oh, well that sounds helpful."

/Oh, it does. Too bad its pretty useless./ A voice spoke before Yami came down from the sky and landed beside them. "Oh, hello Yami. You felt the card too?" Yugi asked. /Yes. I was minding my own on the roof of the library when I felt the commotion of the card moving about. I was actually about to pursue it myself before I spotted him already out and running for it. As for the card itself, it can only move so far. It can't move anything big or living so it's pretty pointless to use./ Yami explained.

"He's right but right now, we need to seal it away and quick. It's already being mischievous enough and if we don't take care of it, it will keep playing games with you all." Kero spoke before they started looking around. Ryou gasped and they all turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"Did you see it?"

"No, it's just..." Ryou started and Yugi walked over to him. "Just what?" Ryou smiled and looked to Yugi, tapping his nose. "I just thought how bad Diamond would feel missing out on this little excursion." he said and Yugi pouted. "Now's not the time for movie ideas, Ryou. We need to find that book." he said and Ryou chuckled softly as he nodded. "I know." Sakura looked around before she saw it. "There!" she cried, pointing it out. The moment it was spotted, the chase was on. Yami even changed into a form suited for the long run, becoming the black dog from before when Yugi was on his outing to the summer home and chased after the book. The card continued it wily games, reappearing and disappearing every moment Yugi, Yami or Li was close to catching it.

After a while, the three were panting and as a tease, the book appeared in front of Yami and he reached down to snap at it only for it to disappear again. /Oh man...I haven't had a workout like that in a while...not to mention the fact I'm running around blind as I'm doing it.../ he murmured as he lied stretched out on the ground. "No kidding..." Yugi murmured before Kero fluttered over to him. "You can't follow it with your eyes! You have to follow it presence!" he explained. "But how?"

"You can sense the cards now, right? So you can predict it's next move by follow it presence. Concentrate!" he urged and Yugi sighed and nodded. "You can do it, Yugi." Ryou said as the smaller teen started to concentrate. He evened his breathing as his blocked out all the sounds around him. The moment he felt a sense of peace, he could sense everything around him. The moving water, the playing children, even whispered conversations from afar. Like a dart, the presence of the Move card flitted through his mental eye. After a while, he soon spotted it, concentration nearly snapping when a brief flash of a more powerful entity flitted through him but was quickly on the move, bringing out the Sealing Staff and pivoted in time to see the book.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be! Clow card!" he called, hitting the book and the image of the card appeared, the Move fighting with the binding power but was soon assimilated into the card, falling into his hands. _'But what was that strange power I felt after I sensed the card?'_ he wondered to himself. Sakura jumped down just in time to catch the book and grinned before realizing she was horribly balanced on the bank of the river where Yugi was, surprisingly having better footing during the capture on the slanted bank.

"Eep!" she squeaked, trying to get her balance. Before Yugi could move to help, Li was already down there, grabbing her flailing arm but soon fell in with her, Sakura safely tossing the book up which Yami grabbed. Li huffed as he looked to her. "The fortune was warning me about this..." he mumbled before Yugi helped them both out of the river. They walked back toward the library to make a quick checkout, thankfully they were never questioned about their soaked clothes or why the book was outside of the library without being checked out first. After that was done, they started for home but a sneeze made Ryou worry. "You'll catch a cold at this rate walking home. Should you have Yami take you back?" Ryou asked.

"No no, beside, being high up in the air might only make it worse." she murmured. /She's right./ Yami agreed as he looked to them. Li sighed, wondering if he might regret the decision before looking over to Sakura. "Do you want to change over at my house? I hear you need this book anyway and I'm almost done with it." he spoke as he watched for her reaction. Sakura gave a nod, smiling a bit. "That would be great actually. You don't mind if they come, do you?" she asked and he shook his head. Soon, they took a different path and made their way over to Li's house.

* * *

When they got there, they were amazed at the size of the house but soon followed Li inside. After Li and Sakura changed, they sat down in the den, Wei coming in with cups of tea for them and a small treat for Yami. She took a sip of the tea and sighed in relief before looking up to the elder.

"So, you live he all alone with Li, Wei-san?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yes, I'm taking care of Syaoran-san on behalf of his mother. His father had passed away and all of his family resides in Hong Kong." he answered and she nodded. "I see." she murmured before taking another sip. The sound of a door clicking shut alerted them to Li's presence as he came into the den, book in hand. He handed it over to Sakura. "Here. I'm done now." he spoke and she nodded, setting the cup down and took the book. "Thanks." she whispered. li took a look at Sakura before realizing the shirt she was wearing.

"Hey, that shirt..."

"Oh, Wei-san lent it to me. It's a very cute shirt. Did you get it yourself?" Sakura question.

"No...it's..." Li started the let out an uneasy breath. A taxi pulled up out front and a girl stepped out from the car, suitcase in hand. She looked up to the Syaoran residence with a smile before making her way inside. Li looked back to the front hall when he heard the door opening and things were silent for a moment as their new and unexpected guest came it. Setting the case down on the ground, the next move the girl made was a bolt to Li.

"Nihao! Syaoran! I'm here!" she called, hugging the other teen and he gasped. "Oi, Vivian! What are you doing here?" he questioned in surprise at seeing the other here. "Oh, you have guests?" she said, blowing off the question as she looked to Yugi, Sakura and Ryou. But her gaze landed on Sakura specifically, seeing her wearing a very familiar shirt. She moved away from Li and marched over to Sakura, looking down at her. "Why are you wearing that shirt? It's the one I gave to Li." she demanded and Sakura gulped.

"Oh this...Well I..." But Sakura didn't have a chance to formulate an answer as Vivian's attention was back on Li. "Who is this girl! Why is she wearing your shirt! I demand to know!"

"It...it's not that...this is..." But he too didn't have a chance to answer as he was pounced on by the girl. Soon, a shouting match ensued and Yami groaned as he covered his ears with a whimper. /Great, another crazy ally, I'm sure.../ he murmured.

"But...we don't even know who she is yet..." Yugi whispered.

"Maybe after she's done attacking Li, we'll learn about her. that or we use this time to get away." Sakura suggested.

"Maybe after your clothes dry and you change, Sakura..." Ryou pointed out.

/I just wanna leave.../ Yami whimpered, feeling a headache coming on from all the yelling.

* * *

Zypher: And another chapter done and it's 6 am...oh my. I should be in bed. -laughs- But anywho, hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and enjoyed the fanciful humor of the chase. I sure did seeing as it was fun trying to follow it. -sigh- But enough of my whining, now Vivian is on the scene and she's not a happy camper two minutes stepping into the house. Oh the fun that will ensue now. But we'll get to that later. For now, I need sleep so I'll see you all later.


End file.
